Chapter 12 (Whitney)
From the ship popped the last thing I expected. It was sam, but he was like 16 or something. He hadn't grown much, but looked more mature.
I kinda liked the look.
But there was something wrong here. Why was he calm? And what was he doing here? And who was he with? I saw a shadowy figure sitting behind in the ship. He looked somewhat familiar.
"So, how are my favourite Animorphs?" Old Sam asked. None of us knew what to say. I knew I was in shock. "What, no witty remark from Marco? No dumbass comment from Gordon? No string of questions from dear old Whit? And of course, no plaguing series of 'why's' from Sam?" He laughed.
Jake just stared, confused. Gordon, on the other hand, looked almost scared. Sam, on the other hand, was the only one to keep a straight face. Everyone else was throwing confused glances around.
I stepped forward. "Why?" I asked simply.
He chuckled a bit, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head gently. "Why? I don't know, because I could?" He laughed. Then settled down. "But seriously, it was out of necessity."
"How was it necessary to destroy our whole planet?" Marco asked. One thing that bothered me was why nobody was acting like the real sam was the bad guy yet. Only sam was acting like he was sure of anything.
Maybe he knows he would never go that far? I knew he wouldn't, not in a million years. But did the rest know that?
"Oh, not the entire planet. Just this city. I have tried to leave peacefully, but everyone keeps firing at me. I try to keep the place clean." so that was why there was no rubble.
"But what about us? Don't we matter? We live here too." Jake said.
But then, real Sam started shaking his head. "No, this isn't real. There is no way. I would never do that." He said. And I believed him. He knew what limits were.
But Old Sam laughed again. "Yes, you would. A simple plan gone wrong, a certain group of people got in the way. Power leads to hate, hate leads to power. I, you, we both know what kind of opportunities could arise when an entire empire is left leaderless. Opportunity strikes and priorities are messed up. Believe me, I was there. I remember thinking the same thing. All I can say is let your instincts guide you, and your potential is unlimited. Never forget that. Know who your enemies are, and keep them close. I have things to do." He turned to walk away.
"Stop." Sam said. "What are you talking about?"
Old Sam stopped. Slowly he turned around, the shadowy figure in the ship got up. I still couldn't make out who it was, but that hair was oh so familiar.
"The most I can say is that Visser three is the target. Stay on track, and a job opportunity will open up. Use every resource you have, and those hungry for power will follow. But be careful. Now, if you don't mind, I have business to attend to." He turned around and closed the door to his ship. It wasn't andalite nor yeerk. I couldn't really make it out. Probably original.
But right as the door was closing, I saw a glimpse of Will, the shadowy figure. Will, who I grew up next to. He was my cousin, and we got along quite well. But what would he be doing with Sam? Was that the ally Old Sam was talking about? But why Will?
As soon as the ship was lifting off, sam slumped his shoulders. "I wouldn't do that." He said sullenly as he shook his head slowly.
"I know." I said as I tried to comfort him. I didn't even care that the rest of the Animorphs were there watching. He wasn't crying, but he was trying to deny it.
"Sam, look, if it makes you feel any better, we understand that anything could happen." Cassie said. But I knew she was bullshitting. Something in the back of my mind knew that from this day forward, nobody would even consider trusting sam.
I would, though.
"I don't need your caring words, Cass." Sam aid as he turned around. "I would never kill you. Okay, so my body did once, but that wasn't me. I would never do anything to directly hurt you." He said.
But it didn't sound right. Sam never pleaded to anyone, let alone Jake. This was all an act, but the message was clear, and honest. Sam would never do anything to hurt us.
At least not me, so why wasn't I on this ship?
"Can I suggest calling the Ellimist and tell him we saw what we came here to see?" Gordon asked.
{He knows. It is just that simple. I fear that is not what he wanted us to see.} Ax said.
But none of us moved. We all sat there, staring at Sam. Well, all except me and Gordon. Gordon had a really steadfast look on his face.
"And your problem is?" Sam asked him.
Gordon shook his head. "Are you so sure?" He asked quietly. Sam looked hurt. "Are you so sure that if such an opportunity arises, you wouldn't go for it?"
Sam shook his head. "Not at such a price. I couldn't lose Wh- you guys. I may not always get along with you, but I wouldn't kill you."
"Sam, something tells me you would." Gordon said.
Sam suddenly got angry. His face got much angrier and he closed his eyes in frustration. "What, do you think I am some sort of gun slinging madman, intent on killing to get where I go? I am human too, you know, not a mass murderer. This is all made up." He claimed.
Gordon, unwavered, looked up. "Last night, I had a weird dream. One of my really weird dreams. We fought, and you left. You said 'there is an entire species about to need a leader.' Or something like that. And I don't think it was for entertainment. It is too close to what we just saw." He said.
"But don't you find it odd that it happened last night? This Ellimist seems to be able to twist lots of things. Don't you find the timing a little peculiar? Why now?"
"I guess that is a good point, but I guess we need to be careful. Now can we go?" Jake asked. He seemed to want to leave.
We all hesitantly left. Left the yeerk pool, left the towers, left everything. Sam stayed behind. I guess he needed time to think. We all left him. Whenever the Ellimist zapped us out of here, we would all leave together. I was pretty sure of that much.
WhhhhhheeeeeeWWWWWWW!!!
WhhhhhheeeeeeWWWWWWW!!!
Two streaking missiles went by overhead. They both exploded in a cloud of smoke. I could see the force field that stopped it.
Immediately, the pool became active immediately. They all started to rush and go to stations for defence.
WhheeWW!!
WhheeWW!!
More missiles flew overhead, ten, no twenty of them all at once. They were all stopped by the protective barrier that covered the city. But the missiles kept coming, and the shields didn't look like they were keeping up very well.
"OKAY, ELLIMIST, YOU CAN TAKE US NOW!" Rachel screamed. But to no avail. The bombs going off around us continued to fall, and explode.
Then, one of the bombs hit a building. It must have punched a hole in the shields, which was a bad thing. This meant the shields were no longer going to protect us!
But then a ship came in, it was Old Sam. I could tell because someone actually jumped out while ti was flying, clad in black trench-coat. He hovered above the city, holding his hands in front of him.
For some reason, the next wave of bombs all stopped in midair. No shield activating, they just stopped.
I noticed Gordon as he fell to one knee beside me. I could see Sam, the original, in the street ahead of us. He was on his knees too.
As Old Sam tried to fend off the attack, one of the bombs slipped through and hit a building. The one beside Sam. As it was hit, the building started to collapse, right on top of Sam. Let me tell you, if there was any time for the Ellimist to get us out, it was now.
"Get out of there!" Tobias shouted. But none of us were running. Nothing we did would save him in time. We stood by helplessly as a building fell on Sam. He even curled up, as if it was going to help him.
But then it stopped. About three feet above Sam. I knew it wasn't him, because even from this far away, I could tell he was as surprised as we were.
It wasn't until I looked up that I saw what was stopping it. It was Old Sam. Both eyes were glowing so dark a red, I could see it from here. But Sam was quick to take advantage, he sprinted out from under it.
But at the same time, another wave of missiles came, and it didn;t look like Sam could stop them this time. He was busy with an ENTIRE FREAKING BUILDING to deal with them.
Tssssewwww!
Tssssewwww!
The ship that brought Sam in started firing, destroying a large majority of the incoming attacks. At least the ones that were aimed at the valuable things. Old Sam, at a lack of concentration, let go of the ENTIRE FREAKING BUILDING. It fell and made a huge mess, along with a powerful earthquake.
But Sam was out.
We were all nerve-wracked, but Sam seemed relieved. As soon as he saw he was okay, he got up and started running towards me.
FLASH!
We were on the mountaintop again. And he tripped on a rock. He fell face first in front of me.
From the ship popped the last thing I expected. It was sam, but he was like 16 or something. He hadn't grown much, but looked more mature.
I kinda liked the look.
But there was something wrong here. Why was he calm? And what was he doing here? And who was he with? I saw a shadowy figure sitting behind in the ship. He looked somewhat familiar.
"So, how are my favourite Animorphs?" Old Sam asked. None of us knew what to say. I knew I was in shock. "What, no witty remark from Marco? No dumbass comment from Gordon? No string of questions from dear old Whit? And of course, no plaguing series of 'why's' from Sam?" He laughed.
Jake just stared, confused. Gordon, on the other hand, looked almost scared. Sam, on the other hand, was the only one to keep a straight face. Everyone else was throwing confused glances around.
I stepped forward. "Why?" I asked simply.
He chuckled a bit, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head gently. "Why? I don't know, because I could?" He laughed. Then settled down. "But seriously, it was out of necessity."
"How was it necessary to destroy our whole planet?" Marco asked. One thing that bothered me was why nobody was acting like the real sam was the bad guy yet. Only sam was acting like he was sure of anything.
Maybe he knows he would never go that far? I knew he wouldn't, not in a million years. But did the rest know that?
"Oh, not the entire planet. Just this city. I have tried to leave peacefully, but everyone keeps firing at me. I try to keep the place clean." so that was why there was no rubble.
"But what about us? Don't we matter? We live here too." Jake said.
But then, real Sam started shaking his head. "No, this isn't real. There is no way. I would never do that." He said. And I believed him. He knew what limits were.
But Old Sam laughed again. "Yes, you would. A simple plan gone wrong, a certain group of people got in the way. Power leads to hate, hate leads to power. I, you, we both know what kind of opportunities could arise when an entire empire is left leaderless. Opportunity strikes and priorities are messed up. Believe me, I was there. I remember thinking the same thing. All I can say is let your instincts guide you, and your potential is unlimited. Never forget that. Know who your enemies are, and keep them close. I have things to do." He turned to walk away.
"Stop." Sam said. "What are you talking about?"
Old Sam stopped. Slowly he turned around, the shadowy figure in the ship got up. I still couldn't make out who it was, but that hair was oh so familiar.
"The most I can say is that Visser three is the target. Stay on track, and a job opportunity will open up. Use every resource you have, and those hungry for power will follow. But be careful. Now, if you don't mind, I have business to attend to." He turned around and closed the door to his ship. It wasn't andalite nor yeerk. I couldn't really make it out. Probably original.
But right as the door was closing, I saw a glimpse of Will, the shadowy figure. Will, who I grew up next to. He was my cousin, and we got along quite well. But what would he be doing with Sam? Was that the ally Old Sam was talking about? But why Will?
As soon as the ship was lifting off, sam slumped his shoulders. "I wouldn't do that." He said sullenly as he shook his head slowly.
"I know." I said as I tried to comfort him. I didn't even care that the rest of the Animorphs were there watching. He wasn't crying, but he was trying to deny it.
"Sam, look, if it makes you feel any better, we understand that anything could happen." Cassie said. But I knew she was bullshitting. Something in the back of my mind knew that from this day forward, nobody would even consider trusting sam.
I would, though.
"I don't need your caring words, Cass." Sam aid as he turned around. "I would never kill you. Okay, so my body did once, but that wasn't me. I would never do anything to directly hurt you." He said.
But it didn't sound right. Sam never pleaded to anyone, let alone Jake. This was all an act, but the message was clear, and honest. Sam would never do anything to hurt us.
At least not me, so why wasn't I on this ship?
"Can I suggest calling the Ellimist and tell him we saw what we came here to see?" Gordon asked.
{He knows. It is just that simple. I fear that is not what he wanted us to see.} Ax said.
But none of us moved. We all sat there, staring at Sam. Well, all except me and Gordon. Gordon had a really steadfast look on his face.
"And your problem is?" Sam asked him.
Gordon shook his head. "Are you so sure?" He asked quietly. Sam looked hurt. "Are you so sure that if such an opportunity arises, you wouldn't go for it?"
Sam shook his head. "Not at such a price. I couldn't lose Wh- you guys. I may not always get along with you, but I wouldn't kill you."
"Sam, something tells me you would." Gordon said.
Sam suddenly got angry. His face got much angrier and he closed his eyes in frustration. "What, do you think I am some sort of gun slinging madman, intent on killing to get where I go? I am human too, you know, not a mass murderer. This is all made up." He claimed.
Gordon, unwavered, looked up. "Last night, I had a weird dream. One of my really weird dreams. We fought, and you left. You said 'there is an entire species about to need a leader.' Or something like that. And I don't think it was for entertainment. It is too close to what we just saw." He said.
"But don't you find it odd that it happened last night? This Ellimist seems to be able to twist lots of things. Don't you find the timing a little peculiar? Why now?"
"I guess that is a good point, but I guess we need to be careful. Now can we go?" Jake asked. He seemed to want to leave.
We all hesitantly left. Left the yeerk pool, left the towers, left everything. Sam stayed behind. I guess he needed time to think. We all left him. Whenever the Ellimist zapped us out of here, we would all leave together. I was pretty sure of that much.
WhhhhhheeeeeeWWWWWWW!!!
WhhhhhheeeeeeWWWWWWW!!!
Two streaking missiles went by overhead. They both exploded in a cloud of smoke. I could see the force field that stopped it.
Immediately, the pool became active immediately. They all started to rush and go to stations for defence.
WhheeWW!!
WhheeWW!!
More missiles flew overhead, ten, no twenty of them all at once. They were all stopped by the protective barrier that covered the city. But the missiles kept coming, and the shields didn't look like they were keeping up very well.
"OKAY, ELLIMIST, YOU CAN TAKE US NOW!" Rachel screamed. But to no avail. The bombs going off around us continued to fall, and explode.
Then, one of the bombs hit a building. It must have punched a hole in the shields, which was a bad thing. This meant the shields were no longer going to protect us!
But then a ship came in, it was Old Sam. I could tell because someone actually jumped out while ti was flying, clad in black trench-coat. He hovered above the city, holding his hands in front of him.
For some reason, the next wave of bombs all stopped in midair. No shield activating, they just stopped.
I noticed Gordon as he fell to one knee beside me. I could see Sam, the original, in the street ahead of us. He was on his knees too.
As Old Sam tried to fend off the attack, one of the bombs slipped through and hit a building. The one beside Sam. As it was hit, the building started to collapse, right on top of Sam. Let me tell you, if there was any time for the Ellimist to get us out, it was now.
"Get out of there!" Tobias shouted. But none of us were running. Nothing we did would save him in time. We stood by helplessly as a building fell on Sam. He even curled up, as if it was going to help him.
But then it stopped. About three feet above Sam. I knew it wasn't him, because even from this far away, I could tell he was as surprised as we were.
It wasn't until I looked up that I saw what was stopping it. It was Old Sam. Both eyes were glowing so dark a red, I could see it from here. But Sam was quick to take advantage, he sprinted out from under it.
But at the same time, another wave of missiles came, and it didn;t look like Sam could stop them this time. He was busy with an ENTIRE FREAKING BUILDING to deal with them.
Tssssewwww!
Tssssewwww!
The ship that brought Sam in started firing, destroying a large majority of the incoming attacks. At least the ones that were aimed at the valuable things. Old Sam, at a lack of concentration, let go of the ENTIRE FREAKING BUILDING. It fell and made a huge mess, along with a powerful earthquake.
But Sam was out.
We were all nerve-wracked, but Sam seemed relieved. As soon as he saw he was okay, he got up and started running towards me.
FLASH!
We were on the mountaintop again. And he tripped on a rock. He fell face first in front of me.