Chapter 15(Gordon)
We were a small, sad, depressed little bunch, marching down the corridor like it truly was the last mile this time.
Hork bajir ears weren't the greatest, but they did pick up the screams that were emanating from the immense room ahead. I could tell it was the yeerk pool.
{We can't just let them do this!} Rachel said, outraged. {we have to do something. Fight back, at least make it difficult for them.}
{And what do you suggest we do?} Whitney asked. {I mean, short of getting us all killed or something.}
{Anything, I hate just walking to our doom. Maybe we could refuse to demorph, that way they couldn't at least take our bodies. I would rather be dead than be a controller, and I would rather be an elephant than dead.}
{Amen to that.} I said.
Just then, we walked into the open space. Not quite the roomy nature of the one on earth under the city, but good enough. And the metal surrounding it instead of dirt was a nice touch.
The guards pointed us to the wall, and lined us up. It was a scene out of world war two, the Nazis lining up the jews for execution, but instead of shooting us, they pointed the guns at us and demanded us to demorph.
None of us said anything. We ll just lined up and waited. That was until I saw a group of shots bring down our captives. It was coming from the other side of the pool.
Once all the hork bajir had been brought down, I looked up to see it was sam. He jumped up and over the pool to meet with us. I hate to admit it, but I was quite glad he was alright and still on our side.
"We need to run." He said. "I can get us out of here." My wounded hork bajir body didn't do well. I kept tripping over my own feet the entire time. Stumbling sucks.
So we followed sam, through the halls of the mother ship. We thought we were almost there, when a group of fifteen hork bajir stood in our way. We had to fight with them.
So the battle began, I was behind Rachel, so I didn't get involved very much. It was me, Sam, and Marco behind, Cassie, Jake, Whitney and Ax in front. It was a standoff.
{I believe this may be hostile, Prince Jake.} Ax said.
{I think that is true, and don't call me prince.}
{Yes, prince Jake.}
Almost instantly, the hallway exploded in a rage of slashing beasts and aliens. {Sam, get me a gun. If they decide to fight us from behind too, I will be useless.} I said eagerly.
He looked at me and closed his eyes. "Alright, I will give you my gun until I get another one. I can get one later." He said as he threw me the gun.
Meanwhile, Jake, Whitney, Ax, Cassie and Rachel were fighting the hork bajir. I couldn't really see what was going on, but I could tell that we were winning. The cries and screaming was dying down.
I held the gun in my hand, backing up slowly as Rachel's bulk pushed forward. There was nobody coming yet, but they would come, I know.
And just as expected, another group of ten red, clad hork bajir were turning the corner and running down the hallway. I raised the weapon, waiting for them to come in range.
"Wait for it." Sam said. "Wait for it."
It wasn't long before I shot the first shot, going straight down the middle. It didn't disintegrate through them but it did knock them down.
I looked to the side and saw Sam's eyes glow, as a gun was pulled from the hands of a hork bajir and brought to his open hand. We continued to shoot until we couldn't hold them back any longer. The guns were on stun, so they wouldn't burn through the hull of the ship.
A few even got so close that Marco had to get involved. One made it past the beams and Marco grabbed the side of his head, smashing it into the wall. It actually left a dent. And pieces of beak went flying.
I shot him, to keep him down for a while. The last one made it to Marco again, so he pushed him into the way of my shot. He was down for the count.
{Alright, they are gone for now, let's try to get out of here.} Jake said.
I continued backing up over bloody bodies as Rachel pushed forward. It wasn't long until we made it to another large junction where there were three other routes. We were all confused.
{What do we o now?} Rachel asked.
{We need to check out each corridor to see where it was going.} Cassie said. {And we don't have time. Ax, how much time do we have left in morph?}
{We have approximately twenty five percent of the morph time left.} he said. That meant we only had 30 minutes left.
We were all discussing where to go when a single unarmed hork bajir in a blue tunic walked down the front hallway.
{What is that?} Marco asked.
"It's a hork bajir, dumb-ass." Sam said sarcastically.
{I know that, but why is it alone, and why is it unarmed, coming directly at us?}
{I do not know, but I am not going to kill it, is helpless.} Jake said.
{Fuck that, these yeerks need to die, every single one of them!} Rachel cried, then started to run forward in a murderous rage.
One of the tigers got in her way, I think it was Whitney, because she said, {Rachel, just wait.} and she did, at least for a while.
We all stood there and waited. When the hork bajir got to us, it looked at each and everyone of us, before saying, "If you wish to leave, you must go down this hallway," he pointed to the hallway to the left, "take the third right, follow it to the second left, and down the drop- shaft. That will take you to a small hangar with an escape pod. It has been pre-programmed to take you back to the location where you were abducted." This hork bajir seemed quite intelligent, which was odd. Usually, the hork bajir mouth wouldn't allow truly comprehensible speech.
"And you may want to demorph. You are nearing the end of the time limit and the pod is not big enough to accompany your size." He said, pointing at Rachel. "Goodbye, and good luck." With that he turned and walked back to whence he came.
{Well, do we go? Or do you think it is a trap?} Rachel asked.
{I think it is real.} I said. {if they wanted us dead, they could do it, plus, it is all we have got to work from.}
{Alright, we go. But be careful.} Jake said.
We all rumbled down the hall, third right, second left. Then we were stopped by an elevator shaft. An empty elevator shaft.
{Ax, how do we get down there? Where's the elevator?} Whitney asked, looking down the shaft. I walked over and looked too. There was no elevator or anything, above or below.
{Umm, I think we have to jump.} I said. Sure, easy for me. I was a hork bajir. I was made for that type of thing, but Rachel?
{you have never used a drop-shaft?} Ax asked. {It is simple.} he walked out to the shaft and he hovered there. Not rising, not falling. Then, out of nowhere, he fell like a stone. I looked down to see him slow to a stop many levels down. I looked at everyone with a shrug.
{I am trying it.} I said, as I walked onto the elevator. And it worked. As soon as I stepped on it, I started floating. I wanted to go down a few floors to begin.....
Whoa!!!! I was falling, but falling slower and slower already. I could see hork bajir on each level as I went down. It wasn't long before I was at the bottom floor, standing alongside Ax.
I could see a little round thing not too far off. It was probably the escape pod. And behind me came Jake, Whitney, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, then Sam.
Sam was pointing a gun straight up, shooting it. "GO! GO!" He yelled. "Demorph." I got the suspicion someone was following us, and why not?
Rachel and Marco started to demorph as they went to the pod. I went into the pod and demorphed. It wasn't long before we were all there, except Sam.
Just as the ship lifted off and the door started to close, Sam jumped in.
"So, how's that for an escape?" He asked through pants when he came to his senses.
"It was good." I laughed. "Now let's go home."
"Agreed." Jake said as he collapsed against the wall of the pod. We were all tired once again. It was still the day, so we could get back to our regular lives.
I looked through the glass bubble that was showing the planet getting closer and closer. But it was so big that it wasn't really noticeable.
"So, none of us thought we were going to get out of that one. But we did. And we will do it again. So don't let your guard down." Whitney said. "So, who's up for a milkshake?" She looked around, smiling. But that was Whitney, always optimistic. No, wait, Whitney was pessimistic, but only in some occasions.
Oh well, we were going home.
In the time it took to get home, I looked around. Jake was laying on the floor, passed out, head laying on Cassie's Lap. I looked dup to see Cassie put a finger to her mouth. "Shhhh." She said quietly.
Whitney was leaning against the wall. Next to Sam, who was nodding his head, twirling a gun around his finger. That was Sam for you.
Ax was standing in front of the pod, watching the planet. Keeping his duty to his prince, making sure he was safe, or something. I don't know, maybe he was disappointed he didn't get to go home. Oh well, there would be other times.
I was sitting against the wall, Rachel next to me, almost asleep. Boy, would we ever have a fun time telling Tobias what happened.
Then, there was Marco. Sitting with his eyes closed, tears just drying on the side of his face, jaw quivering. It was the first time he was able to express real emotion since the battle.
"It's alright, Marco." Cassie said suddenly and quietly. "It was hard on all of us. We are all glad to be alive. I am sure Jake wouldn't mind if you sat the next one out. I think you are right. You are all your dad has left."
Marco smiled, as if to tell her she was wrong. But instead, he said, "Cassie, I finally realize that my dad is not the only one I have to protect. I will be there for any of you, whenever you need me."
I knew what he was talking about, but judging on how cassie reacted, she didn't. "Well, there is a whole planet out there, we are only human." Cassie said.
Marco smiled again. I guessed he didn't want me to say anything. I don't think he knew I knew.
Anyway, it was another hour or so before we made it back to the quarry. Without much talk, we all morphed our respective birds and were off to our respective homes. I noticed the pod went BOOM before it was out of my hearing.
We were a small, sad, depressed little bunch, marching down the corridor like it truly was the last mile this time.
Hork bajir ears weren't the greatest, but they did pick up the screams that were emanating from the immense room ahead. I could tell it was the yeerk pool.
{We can't just let them do this!} Rachel said, outraged. {we have to do something. Fight back, at least make it difficult for them.}
{And what do you suggest we do?} Whitney asked. {I mean, short of getting us all killed or something.}
{Anything, I hate just walking to our doom. Maybe we could refuse to demorph, that way they couldn't at least take our bodies. I would rather be dead than be a controller, and I would rather be an elephant than dead.}
{Amen to that.} I said.
Just then, we walked into the open space. Not quite the roomy nature of the one on earth under the city, but good enough. And the metal surrounding it instead of dirt was a nice touch.
The guards pointed us to the wall, and lined us up. It was a scene out of world war two, the Nazis lining up the jews for execution, but instead of shooting us, they pointed the guns at us and demanded us to demorph.
None of us said anything. We ll just lined up and waited. That was until I saw a group of shots bring down our captives. It was coming from the other side of the pool.
Once all the hork bajir had been brought down, I looked up to see it was sam. He jumped up and over the pool to meet with us. I hate to admit it, but I was quite glad he was alright and still on our side.
"We need to run." He said. "I can get us out of here." My wounded hork bajir body didn't do well. I kept tripping over my own feet the entire time. Stumbling sucks.
So we followed sam, through the halls of the mother ship. We thought we were almost there, when a group of fifteen hork bajir stood in our way. We had to fight with them.
So the battle began, I was behind Rachel, so I didn't get involved very much. It was me, Sam, and Marco behind, Cassie, Jake, Whitney and Ax in front. It was a standoff.
{I believe this may be hostile, Prince Jake.} Ax said.
{I think that is true, and don't call me prince.}
{Yes, prince Jake.}
Almost instantly, the hallway exploded in a rage of slashing beasts and aliens. {Sam, get me a gun. If they decide to fight us from behind too, I will be useless.} I said eagerly.
He looked at me and closed his eyes. "Alright, I will give you my gun until I get another one. I can get one later." He said as he threw me the gun.
Meanwhile, Jake, Whitney, Ax, Cassie and Rachel were fighting the hork bajir. I couldn't really see what was going on, but I could tell that we were winning. The cries and screaming was dying down.
I held the gun in my hand, backing up slowly as Rachel's bulk pushed forward. There was nobody coming yet, but they would come, I know.
And just as expected, another group of ten red, clad hork bajir were turning the corner and running down the hallway. I raised the weapon, waiting for them to come in range.
"Wait for it." Sam said. "Wait for it."
It wasn't long before I shot the first shot, going straight down the middle. It didn't disintegrate through them but it did knock them down.
I looked to the side and saw Sam's eyes glow, as a gun was pulled from the hands of a hork bajir and brought to his open hand. We continued to shoot until we couldn't hold them back any longer. The guns were on stun, so they wouldn't burn through the hull of the ship.
A few even got so close that Marco had to get involved. One made it past the beams and Marco grabbed the side of his head, smashing it into the wall. It actually left a dent. And pieces of beak went flying.
I shot him, to keep him down for a while. The last one made it to Marco again, so he pushed him into the way of my shot. He was down for the count.
{Alright, they are gone for now, let's try to get out of here.} Jake said.
I continued backing up over bloody bodies as Rachel pushed forward. It wasn't long until we made it to another large junction where there were three other routes. We were all confused.
{What do we o now?} Rachel asked.
{We need to check out each corridor to see where it was going.} Cassie said. {And we don't have time. Ax, how much time do we have left in morph?}
{We have approximately twenty five percent of the morph time left.} he said. That meant we only had 30 minutes left.
We were all discussing where to go when a single unarmed hork bajir in a blue tunic walked down the front hallway.
{What is that?} Marco asked.
"It's a hork bajir, dumb-ass." Sam said sarcastically.
{I know that, but why is it alone, and why is it unarmed, coming directly at us?}
{I do not know, but I am not going to kill it, is helpless.} Jake said.
{Fuck that, these yeerks need to die, every single one of them!} Rachel cried, then started to run forward in a murderous rage.
One of the tigers got in her way, I think it was Whitney, because she said, {Rachel, just wait.} and she did, at least for a while.
We all stood there and waited. When the hork bajir got to us, it looked at each and everyone of us, before saying, "If you wish to leave, you must go down this hallway," he pointed to the hallway to the left, "take the third right, follow it to the second left, and down the drop- shaft. That will take you to a small hangar with an escape pod. It has been pre-programmed to take you back to the location where you were abducted." This hork bajir seemed quite intelligent, which was odd. Usually, the hork bajir mouth wouldn't allow truly comprehensible speech.
"And you may want to demorph. You are nearing the end of the time limit and the pod is not big enough to accompany your size." He said, pointing at Rachel. "Goodbye, and good luck." With that he turned and walked back to whence he came.
{Well, do we go? Or do you think it is a trap?} Rachel asked.
{I think it is real.} I said. {if they wanted us dead, they could do it, plus, it is all we have got to work from.}
{Alright, we go. But be careful.} Jake said.
We all rumbled down the hall, third right, second left. Then we were stopped by an elevator shaft. An empty elevator shaft.
{Ax, how do we get down there? Where's the elevator?} Whitney asked, looking down the shaft. I walked over and looked too. There was no elevator or anything, above or below.
{Umm, I think we have to jump.} I said. Sure, easy for me. I was a hork bajir. I was made for that type of thing, but Rachel?
{you have never used a drop-shaft?} Ax asked. {It is simple.} he walked out to the shaft and he hovered there. Not rising, not falling. Then, out of nowhere, he fell like a stone. I looked down to see him slow to a stop many levels down. I looked at everyone with a shrug.
{I am trying it.} I said, as I walked onto the elevator. And it worked. As soon as I stepped on it, I started floating. I wanted to go down a few floors to begin.....
Whoa!!!! I was falling, but falling slower and slower already. I could see hork bajir on each level as I went down. It wasn't long before I was at the bottom floor, standing alongside Ax.
I could see a little round thing not too far off. It was probably the escape pod. And behind me came Jake, Whitney, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, then Sam.
Sam was pointing a gun straight up, shooting it. "GO! GO!" He yelled. "Demorph." I got the suspicion someone was following us, and why not?
Rachel and Marco started to demorph as they went to the pod. I went into the pod and demorphed. It wasn't long before we were all there, except Sam.
Just as the ship lifted off and the door started to close, Sam jumped in.
"So, how's that for an escape?" He asked through pants when he came to his senses.
"It was good." I laughed. "Now let's go home."
"Agreed." Jake said as he collapsed against the wall of the pod. We were all tired once again. It was still the day, so we could get back to our regular lives.
I looked through the glass bubble that was showing the planet getting closer and closer. But it was so big that it wasn't really noticeable.
"So, none of us thought we were going to get out of that one. But we did. And we will do it again. So don't let your guard down." Whitney said. "So, who's up for a milkshake?" She looked around, smiling. But that was Whitney, always optimistic. No, wait, Whitney was pessimistic, but only in some occasions.
Oh well, we were going home.
In the time it took to get home, I looked around. Jake was laying on the floor, passed out, head laying on Cassie's Lap. I looked dup to see Cassie put a finger to her mouth. "Shhhh." She said quietly.
Whitney was leaning against the wall. Next to Sam, who was nodding his head, twirling a gun around his finger. That was Sam for you.
Ax was standing in front of the pod, watching the planet. Keeping his duty to his prince, making sure he was safe, or something. I don't know, maybe he was disappointed he didn't get to go home. Oh well, there would be other times.
I was sitting against the wall, Rachel next to me, almost asleep. Boy, would we ever have a fun time telling Tobias what happened.
Then, there was Marco. Sitting with his eyes closed, tears just drying on the side of his face, jaw quivering. It was the first time he was able to express real emotion since the battle.
"It's alright, Marco." Cassie said suddenly and quietly. "It was hard on all of us. We are all glad to be alive. I am sure Jake wouldn't mind if you sat the next one out. I think you are right. You are all your dad has left."
Marco smiled, as if to tell her she was wrong. But instead, he said, "Cassie, I finally realize that my dad is not the only one I have to protect. I will be there for any of you, whenever you need me."
I knew what he was talking about, but judging on how cassie reacted, she didn't. "Well, there is a whole planet out there, we are only human." Cassie said.
Marco smiled again. I guessed he didn't want me to say anything. I don't think he knew I knew.
Anyway, it was another hour or so before we made it back to the quarry. Without much talk, we all morphed our respective birds and were off to our respective homes. I noticed the pod went BOOM before it was out of my hearing.