Chapter 20 (Sam)
8:45 PM
So this was it. This was the mighty plan.
{You don't have to do it.} the voice in my head was saying. That voice was Illnith.
{I thought we decided this was for the best.} I said. You see, we had come to the conclusion that if we didn't do this, we would be given more trouble than it was worth. We decided to get on with it, because if we didn't, those pitiful Animorphs would do it anyway, and my loyalty would be hurt.
You see, he would help me in whatever way he could, and I would fulfill his final wish by killing Visser Three. It was a win-win situation. Kinda.
{I know, but I really wish it could be done some other way.} he said.
{Don't go back on your word now, we made the decision, and we will stick to it. I realize that may be hard for you to digest, but it is the way it is going to happen.} I explained. And it was the truth, I would do this no matter what.
So we took Whitney and placed her on a roof while we went and replenished Illnith in the pool. It was the same as last time, we went into the pool in the same place and exited the same place. When we finished, it was 8:45. That meant I had three days to accomplish the task.
{And I truly hope you can do it, Sam.} the yeerk sneered.
But I ignored him, damn it, I had a job to do, no matter the cost. In fact, I had many jobs to take care of, but they would all come in time. Right now, I had Whitney and the Animorphs to deal with.
Before I went to replenish, we went to the house and picked up the C- 4. And it isn't any of your business how I got it. That information is classified. Either way, I only took some of it, C-4 was fairly potent.
But as we left, I saw Gordon go in, he didn't see me. It was better that way. At least that way I knew he was in fact doing something and I wasn't sacrificing my time for nothing.
So afterwards, Whitney and I went to see the three towers, to make sure they were alright. I actually saw when the water tower was blowing up, and when Gordon and Ax went to help the EGS tower group. We watched from above. Seeing that those two groups were alright, Whit and I decided that the radio tower was the one that needed the most help.
So over we went to the radio tower, where we saw Jake and Marco. They were both on the tower as Chimpanzees. What they were planning on doing as chimps was beyond me.
{Jake, Marco!} Whitney called down.
{Whitney?} Jake called as he looked up.
{Yeah, what are you doing?} she called back.
{Trying to destroy this tower, come down here, we need your help!} Marco said. What confused me was that they knew she was a bird. I could barely see them and there was no way in hell he could see us. And quite frankly, I didn't see how being a chimp was going to help bring down a building. That was like using a handgun on a tank, it was just futile.
So instead of listening to them babble on about how ignorant they were, I flew my way down and landed on one of the platforms below them.
About twenty feet above me were the big drum-like things that relayed the information. I figured they were the best place to start.
{Sam?} Marco asked nervously.
"Yes, it is me." I said wryly. "Got a problem with it?" You see, I knew they would be suspicious, I wanted to put them in their place, show them who's boss.
{Sam, that isn't the way to win trust.} Whitney said suggestively.
I wanted to answer, but I had nothing to say that wouldn't evoke some sort of curiosity from Jake and Marco. So I kept my mouth shut.
{So now Whitney thinks you care?} Illnith asked.
{I still don't need them in the way, that is the main thing.} I said. He was quiet after that. Good, he should keep to himself.
So I flew up to Jake and Marco. "So, how do you plan on actually destroying a tower as monkeys?" I laughed.
{Well, we were going to make sure there was something here before we did anything. What better way to climb something than a monkey?} Marco said.
I rubbed my chin inquisitively. "Well, sherlock, when you did find something worth destroying, what were you going to do, punch it? I mean, come on, there is nothing you can do to destroy something that large, at least in those bodies."
{What do you suggest, then? Oh mighty Sam.} Jake asked. It wasn't like him. Sure, I knew he didn't like me, but he was usually nice about things....oh well.
"Well..." I opened my coat, pulling out some of the C-4. "...this is probably the most effective for something like this." I said.
{What is that, and where did you get it?} Marco asked.
Silly Marco. "Ah, yes. This, my friend, is C-4. A very potent explosive, and it isn't any of your business where I got it. The point is, we are going to blow up this tower in a very effective way. And I have to hand it to you, at least you were smart to look. If there is anything here, then it will either be in those drums or hidden in a hologram somewhere. I wouldn't want to blow up more than I need to." I explained. I think they understood.
{That means we have to search this entire radio tower.} Jake said. {Inside and out.}
{Well, not so much inside, just stick your hands in to see if it disappears. If it does, then we have a kandrona or something.} Marco said.
Then the first person I would expect to know made a revelation. {You know, we would not go through so much trouble to put one here. Two is more than enough.} Illnith said.
{Well then, explain why this building was shielded in that future world.} I said.
{I am not sure, maybe it is used in the future. That world could have been made to imitate any time period.} he explained. I thought he was full of shit.
{Are you trying to hide something?} I asked suspiciously. He didn't answer. So I flew my way up and started climbing in through the rails and trying to find any type of imperfection. That would be our force-field.
But after ten minutes of searching, we found nothing in the tower, and I heard an explosion far off over the quiet city night. That was the cue to hurry up, our time was up, unless there truly wasn't anything there.
Oh well, we would blow the shit out of it anyway!
{I am telling you, there won't be anything here.} Illnith advised.
{Shut up.} I said quietly, then went back to work.
Then Whitney came into view, I could see she had something to say. And sure enough, I was right. {Hey, guys. I have been watching, and I have a question......why haven't you touched the drums? They could be hiding stuff, and I am in no condition to come down there and help.} she said. And it was true, she had nothing to do anything here, oh well, I guess this really was a test.
I guess I passed.
Either way, I looked down to see the other two staring a each other. They were stupid. I would have said something, but I was ignorant all the same. Oh well, I let it slip.
{Well, Sam. You are closest, why don't you try and figure it out?} Marco bugged. {You are the closest.} actually, I was as far away as Marco or Jake, to the top. They were below it. So I went anyway.
I climbed down the radio tower and made my way to the drum things. And whaddaya know, when I touched it, I felt nothing. It was a hologram!
{Well, I guess I was wrong.} Illnith said. {but I still don't know what would be there.}
{Neither do I.} I went on and got out my C-4. "Tell them to leave! I will do the rest of this myself!" I called. If they heard me, they would be gone in a few minutes.
{No Problem, are you going to be alright?} she asked. I just smiled and nodded my head. I knew she would see me. She was an owl.
Needless to say, I saw Jake and Marco start climbing down. {Good luck, and see you tomorrow!} Jake said cheerily. A little too cheerily.
But I ignored him. Instead I got out my C-4 and went to work. I placed the bombs on the four main structural points around the outside one in the middle where all the bars cross, to really weaken it.
After I put the stuff in it's place, I set the timer and flew away. I had less than a minute. When I looked around, nobody was home. No Whit, no Jake, no Marco. Just me. So I flew away as fast as I could. I didn't even watch the explosions.
BOOM!!
I didn't go home that night. It was becoming a habit with me, but I wasn't worried. Loyalties and love would come in time, and time was what I didn't have.
So I decided to go back to the mountainside. Behind the plateau where Whitney and I stayed on our little 'vacation' was a beautiful valley. It had a waterfall and a lake and trees and forest and caves. It was an oasis in the harsh mountain.
I loved that place, really, I did. But that wasn't the point.
The point was that I had a job to do and I didn't know who the hell I was working for. Jake, Whitney, Illnith? Myself? It didn't matter. Time would sort it all out. The ends justify the means, I always said. Kill a thousand to save a million.
On top of that, my goal helped all of the above. Jake would have one less enemy. Illnith would die happy. Whit would truly look up to me and her life would be made all the better. And I would feel the ever-pleasant feeling of accomplishment.
So I guess if I had to take up arms with the enemy, it was alright. As long as I accomplished my task. Time would tell.
As I dozed off, I shut off Illnith's nagging, urging voice, and I slept. I dreamed. I dreamed of failure, and success. Of fear, and loathing. And most of all, of anger, frustration. Was it a bad omen? Time would tell.
As I got ready for the day, I realized something.
Time was something I didn't have.
To kill a major icon in an alien empire. To make many lives easier. To make a temporary ally die happy. To give myself eternal happiness. It was bleak.
I had less than three days.
8:45 PM
So this was it. This was the mighty plan.
{You don't have to do it.} the voice in my head was saying. That voice was Illnith.
{I thought we decided this was for the best.} I said. You see, we had come to the conclusion that if we didn't do this, we would be given more trouble than it was worth. We decided to get on with it, because if we didn't, those pitiful Animorphs would do it anyway, and my loyalty would be hurt.
You see, he would help me in whatever way he could, and I would fulfill his final wish by killing Visser Three. It was a win-win situation. Kinda.
{I know, but I really wish it could be done some other way.} he said.
{Don't go back on your word now, we made the decision, and we will stick to it. I realize that may be hard for you to digest, but it is the way it is going to happen.} I explained. And it was the truth, I would do this no matter what.
So we took Whitney and placed her on a roof while we went and replenished Illnith in the pool. It was the same as last time, we went into the pool in the same place and exited the same place. When we finished, it was 8:45. That meant I had three days to accomplish the task.
{And I truly hope you can do it, Sam.} the yeerk sneered.
But I ignored him, damn it, I had a job to do, no matter the cost. In fact, I had many jobs to take care of, but they would all come in time. Right now, I had Whitney and the Animorphs to deal with.
Before I went to replenish, we went to the house and picked up the C- 4. And it isn't any of your business how I got it. That information is classified. Either way, I only took some of it, C-4 was fairly potent.
But as we left, I saw Gordon go in, he didn't see me. It was better that way. At least that way I knew he was in fact doing something and I wasn't sacrificing my time for nothing.
So afterwards, Whitney and I went to see the three towers, to make sure they were alright. I actually saw when the water tower was blowing up, and when Gordon and Ax went to help the EGS tower group. We watched from above. Seeing that those two groups were alright, Whit and I decided that the radio tower was the one that needed the most help.
So over we went to the radio tower, where we saw Jake and Marco. They were both on the tower as Chimpanzees. What they were planning on doing as chimps was beyond me.
{Jake, Marco!} Whitney called down.
{Whitney?} Jake called as he looked up.
{Yeah, what are you doing?} she called back.
{Trying to destroy this tower, come down here, we need your help!} Marco said. What confused me was that they knew she was a bird. I could barely see them and there was no way in hell he could see us. And quite frankly, I didn't see how being a chimp was going to help bring down a building. That was like using a handgun on a tank, it was just futile.
So instead of listening to them babble on about how ignorant they were, I flew my way down and landed on one of the platforms below them.
About twenty feet above me were the big drum-like things that relayed the information. I figured they were the best place to start.
{Sam?} Marco asked nervously.
"Yes, it is me." I said wryly. "Got a problem with it?" You see, I knew they would be suspicious, I wanted to put them in their place, show them who's boss.
{Sam, that isn't the way to win trust.} Whitney said suggestively.
I wanted to answer, but I had nothing to say that wouldn't evoke some sort of curiosity from Jake and Marco. So I kept my mouth shut.
{So now Whitney thinks you care?} Illnith asked.
{I still don't need them in the way, that is the main thing.} I said. He was quiet after that. Good, he should keep to himself.
So I flew up to Jake and Marco. "So, how do you plan on actually destroying a tower as monkeys?" I laughed.
{Well, we were going to make sure there was something here before we did anything. What better way to climb something than a monkey?} Marco said.
I rubbed my chin inquisitively. "Well, sherlock, when you did find something worth destroying, what were you going to do, punch it? I mean, come on, there is nothing you can do to destroy something that large, at least in those bodies."
{What do you suggest, then? Oh mighty Sam.} Jake asked. It wasn't like him. Sure, I knew he didn't like me, but he was usually nice about things....oh well.
"Well..." I opened my coat, pulling out some of the C-4. "...this is probably the most effective for something like this." I said.
{What is that, and where did you get it?} Marco asked.
Silly Marco. "Ah, yes. This, my friend, is C-4. A very potent explosive, and it isn't any of your business where I got it. The point is, we are going to blow up this tower in a very effective way. And I have to hand it to you, at least you were smart to look. If there is anything here, then it will either be in those drums or hidden in a hologram somewhere. I wouldn't want to blow up more than I need to." I explained. I think they understood.
{That means we have to search this entire radio tower.} Jake said. {Inside and out.}
{Well, not so much inside, just stick your hands in to see if it disappears. If it does, then we have a kandrona or something.} Marco said.
Then the first person I would expect to know made a revelation. {You know, we would not go through so much trouble to put one here. Two is more than enough.} Illnith said.
{Well then, explain why this building was shielded in that future world.} I said.
{I am not sure, maybe it is used in the future. That world could have been made to imitate any time period.} he explained. I thought he was full of shit.
{Are you trying to hide something?} I asked suspiciously. He didn't answer. So I flew my way up and started climbing in through the rails and trying to find any type of imperfection. That would be our force-field.
But after ten minutes of searching, we found nothing in the tower, and I heard an explosion far off over the quiet city night. That was the cue to hurry up, our time was up, unless there truly wasn't anything there.
Oh well, we would blow the shit out of it anyway!
{I am telling you, there won't be anything here.} Illnith advised.
{Shut up.} I said quietly, then went back to work.
Then Whitney came into view, I could see she had something to say. And sure enough, I was right. {Hey, guys. I have been watching, and I have a question......why haven't you touched the drums? They could be hiding stuff, and I am in no condition to come down there and help.} she said. And it was true, she had nothing to do anything here, oh well, I guess this really was a test.
I guess I passed.
Either way, I looked down to see the other two staring a each other. They were stupid. I would have said something, but I was ignorant all the same. Oh well, I let it slip.
{Well, Sam. You are closest, why don't you try and figure it out?} Marco bugged. {You are the closest.} actually, I was as far away as Marco or Jake, to the top. They were below it. So I went anyway.
I climbed down the radio tower and made my way to the drum things. And whaddaya know, when I touched it, I felt nothing. It was a hologram!
{Well, I guess I was wrong.} Illnith said. {but I still don't know what would be there.}
{Neither do I.} I went on and got out my C-4. "Tell them to leave! I will do the rest of this myself!" I called. If they heard me, they would be gone in a few minutes.
{No Problem, are you going to be alright?} she asked. I just smiled and nodded my head. I knew she would see me. She was an owl.
Needless to say, I saw Jake and Marco start climbing down. {Good luck, and see you tomorrow!} Jake said cheerily. A little too cheerily.
But I ignored him. Instead I got out my C-4 and went to work. I placed the bombs on the four main structural points around the outside one in the middle where all the bars cross, to really weaken it.
After I put the stuff in it's place, I set the timer and flew away. I had less than a minute. When I looked around, nobody was home. No Whit, no Jake, no Marco. Just me. So I flew away as fast as I could. I didn't even watch the explosions.
BOOM!!
I didn't go home that night. It was becoming a habit with me, but I wasn't worried. Loyalties and love would come in time, and time was what I didn't have.
So I decided to go back to the mountainside. Behind the plateau where Whitney and I stayed on our little 'vacation' was a beautiful valley. It had a waterfall and a lake and trees and forest and caves. It was an oasis in the harsh mountain.
I loved that place, really, I did. But that wasn't the point.
The point was that I had a job to do and I didn't know who the hell I was working for. Jake, Whitney, Illnith? Myself? It didn't matter. Time would sort it all out. The ends justify the means, I always said. Kill a thousand to save a million.
On top of that, my goal helped all of the above. Jake would have one less enemy. Illnith would die happy. Whit would truly look up to me and her life would be made all the better. And I would feel the ever-pleasant feeling of accomplishment.
So I guess if I had to take up arms with the enemy, it was alright. As long as I accomplished my task. Time would tell.
As I dozed off, I shut off Illnith's nagging, urging voice, and I slept. I dreamed. I dreamed of failure, and success. Of fear, and loathing. And most of all, of anger, frustration. Was it a bad omen? Time would tell.
As I got ready for the day, I realized something.
Time was something I didn't have.
To kill a major icon in an alien empire. To make many lives easier. To make a temporary ally die happy. To give myself eternal happiness. It was bleak.
I had less than three days.