Aximili's Headache

It would have to be done without the others, of course. Without any knowledge of Jake, Tobias, Marco, Rachel or Cassie. He had made this his own business when he had refrained from telling Jake about Issetha in the first place, and he would have to finish it on his own, without their knowing or even suspecting.

Finally, he would have to find some way to convince Issetha to let him go through with it all to begin with. She had made it very clear that she intended to stop him.

Silly Yeerk, he muttered to himself, well knowing she could hear his every thought. First they complain about lacking Kandrona, and when you try to help they complain about that as well.

Issetha was silent, saying and doing nothing. That unnerved him, for some reason.

He waited until the morning of the third day, which only gave him a night of planning – not that there was much to plan, considering that he knew almost nothing about the target. All he could plan was the objective – he would have to figure the rest out as he went along. Issetha had already begun hungering for the Kandrona all Yeerks needed so badly – already weakening – when he decided it was time.

There was no hiding it from her, of course. She knew exactly what he was planning, and she did not like it; did not approve. Aximili, though, had never been interested in the opinions of Yeerks and shut hers out as he would have done with any other Yeerk's.

He turned a deaf ear to her arguments, made a few preparations, hinted to a few Hork-Bajir that he would be out on patrol, no-one needed to worry, left camp and carefully made certain he was not being followed or watched… and then stopped. Issetha had snatched control, and Aximili found himself standing perfectly still. Not turning to go back, but not being able to take another step forwards, either. He fingered the borders of her control tentatively, looking for a weakness, but knew there was none. He was unable to move as much as a hair; he was completely and utterly helpless, trapped in his own mind.

First he suppressed a wave of panic, reminding himself that he might be infested, which was not good, but at least the Yeerk was not likely to force him to do something he did not wish to do – like betraying his friends.

He told Issetha to let him have control over his muscles back. He had a feeling he'd need them. The Yeerk replied that she knew what he was planning, she was not going to allow it, and could he please give up this nonsense, go back to camp and just let her starve in peace?

Absolutely not, he told her. Now let go. He smiled mentally, without being able to stop himself. Or I shall start screaming.

But Issetha was not in the mood for that. Her voice was tainted with the fatigue he knew she felt when she said; One scream from you and I'll turn you in to the Visser myself! That should get me a healthy supply of Kandrona…

Aximili held back the prepared roars, not trusting the Yeerk enough to doubt her sincerity in that.

Better, she huffed lowly. Then noted how suspicious his mind was, and sighed. Oh, when are you going to learn? I told you I wasn't going to turn you in. I'm not. I don't break promises.

Aximili was not completely convinced, but let it drop. Let me go, Yeerk. I owe you a favour – I will return it.

You'll get yourself into trouble, she replied, but sounded more and more like she didn't care, more and more weary.

And I'll do it whether you let me go now, or when you're too weak to hold me back. But if you insist on the second alternative, whatever I do will most likely be in vain.

Issetha laughed bitterly. Yes, you probably will, you stupid, stubborn Andalite.

I am not stupid, Aximili muttered, feeling insulted.

Yes, you are. And don't even try to argue about 'stubborn'.

Slightly stubborn, perhaps, but stupid? Aximili said. That was a very nasty thing to say.

Aximili, my dear intelligent but oh-so-hidebound Andalite, aren't Yeerks supposed to be nasty? Rude? Cruel, even?

Aximili chose not to comment that, but Issetha read his mind like an open book. Not that there would have been any need – his opinion was obvious. The Yeerk sighed. Thought so. Now are you going to give up this silly idea of yours or not?

No. And I demand that you return control at once.

You demand, Aximili?

Yes, Issetha; I demand.

The Yeerk let out a wave of surprise.

What? he wondered, for some reason touchy.

You… you just used my name.

Maybe I did, he admitted slowly, carefully avoiding to ponder that any further. Uncomfortable – and he had gone through so much trouble to avoid it. Typical. Now give me back control. Thinking for a moment, he added; Please?

Does it mean so much to you? Issetha wondered – but if she had been human, she would by then have buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes. Probably been swaying – she was very weak, Aximili noticed, suddenly fearing that he would be too late.

I owe a debt, he said.

I relieve you of it.

I refuse to let you do that. Issetha, if she liked hearing her name then he might as well use it – at least while he was trying to convince her of something I am attempting to help you. You are not making it any simpler. Besides, I told you; I am going now, or when you are too weak to hold me back. I would, though, prefer the first alternative. But it is your choice.

Silly, stubborn Andalite, his Yeerk whispered. Fine. Waste your life – waste this planet, and yours, I don't care. I don't have the energy to argue with you.

Aximili felt control seeping back. Ignoring her words, ignoring the echo of them in his own mind that told him she was right, he at once began morphing harrier, and moments later he was in the air, aiming towards the city.

He landed on the roof of the Sharing's main building, and wondered if it was safe to demorph. It had looked safe from the air, but he admitted not to have much experience inspecting areas from above – that was Tobias's specialty. He felt a sudden, strange yearn to have his friends with him, but at once dismissed it as sentimentality, which he had no time for. He was on his own.

Not completely, Issetha reminded him.

Of course – I know. Any ideas?

Oh, no. Concerning that, you are on your own.

Issetha retreated back to the sheltered corner she had hid in during the flight. Aximili again reminded himself to hurry. He tried to remember the nearest entrance, and the easiest way in.

Ah; of course.

The main entrance. The Yeerks would never expect one of the Animorphs to walk straight into their building, as a human, and straight up to the pool network. It was too obvious – too daring – too idiotic – too… well, it was as good an idea as any. He would simply enter the building as human. And if he was caught…

They can't infest you while I'm here, Issetha assured him wearily.

I was certain there had to be some sort of advantage… he muttered, and spread his wings again. A few powerful flaps and he was off the roof, heading away from the building for a demorph and remorph to human.

Aximili's last-moment plan turned out to work just fine. Not many people in the building spared him as much as a second glance. He kept out of sight, out of people's way, and after he had stolen a visitor's tag from a jacket someone had left on a chair (it had been Issetha's idea) they paid him even less attention. Which suited him just perfectly.

Now, to find an empty pool. And a spare Kandrona, to take with him back to camp. Which meant going somewhere in the building that was not accessible by visitors.

Fine. He sneaked into a cleaning scrub when no-one was looking and took the risk of demorphing. Then, a quick morph to cockroach. He followed the light from the corridor to get out of the cleaning closet, and paused under the door, trying to figure out if the corridor was safe.

Yeerks are suspicious of cockroaches, Issetha warned him in a low whisper.

We Animorphs may have had something to do with that… he murmured in response, but still continued with his plan-less plan, hastening out from under the door and into the corridor.

Not having a plan went against almost everything he had ever been taught.

So did trying to save a Yeerk's life.

Aximili put both screaming instincts out of his mind and continued. He managed to locate a room where the stench told him there was a pool, and after considering it for a moment he took the risk of demorphing. As soon as he had fingers, he locked the door and as soon as his stalks appeared he took a good look around.

There was a pool. Excellent. He forced himself to step closer to it, quenching a wave of nausea, and looked down into it, trying to see if there were any Yeerks in it or not. The sludgy water was as sludgy water usually was; not at all clear. But checking the control on the sides of the pool, he found that it was empty. All too perfect.

He quickly lowered his head towards it – or maybe Issetha did it for him? – and felt the Yeerk push her way out through his ear, hurrying as best she could. She fell the last decimetre to the pool's surface and sank down below it. He could almost hear a sigh of relief.

Aximili shuddered and raised both hands to energetically rub his ear. He pulled away from the pool, glaring back at it, at the same time as his stalks searched the room. There was a locked metal closet in a corner. Keeping as close to the wall and as far away from the pool as possible, he neared the closet. A quick snap of his tail split the heavy padlock into pieces, and the doors swung obediently open.

He went through the contents of each shelf quickly. There was a set of hand-held dracons, and a sudden impulse made him carefully lift each one out and disable it. A little unexpected sabotage would do the Yeerks good. There was also a set of big, metal briefcases – holding spare Kandronas and travel pools, he knew, and it was just what he needed. But he also knew that he would never be able to sneak one of them out. He needed something small that he could morph with him when he morphed to leave the building, like his friends morphed their clothing. Luckily, he too had had some practice on that and had a fair idea on how to go about it.

Below the briefcases were several stacks of packs, each about the size of a small pocket book, that contained extra nutrients; powder that could be poured into a pool for a more comfortable and healthy swim. He wondered for a moment if there was some way he could destroy them, but there were many and he did not know how much time he had. He finally settled for taking a few packs, throwing them on the floor and slashing them open with his tail. He was careful not to step in the powder, realizing only afterwards that he should have thrown them into a corner, not where he needed to walk.

Finally, on the last shelf he examined, were the types of spare Kandronas he had been looking for. A newer model; about size of a CD, but thicker, distinctly metallic and glowing with the same strange light and warmth as every Kandrona. They would last a few feedings each. You only placed them in water, and let the Yeerk swim.

At least, so he hoped. He was far from an expert on Kandronas.

He gathered up some of the paper from the destroyed packs of nutrients and securely wrapped it around the Kandronas, so he would not have to touch the things more than necessary.

Issetha? he called softly to the Yeerk in the pool, knowing she could hear him. When you are done, come to the surface, and the edge. I'll lift you up. Hurry.

He wondered at how he was supposed to secure the Kandronas in order to morph them along. He finally settled to clutching them between his arms and chest and hoping for the best.

He had kept a stalk on the pool, and now saw Issetha come up to the surface. He made his way to the pool, the Kandronas he had taken under one arm, and reached towards the grey shape of the slug.

The very action repulsed him. The idea of freely lifting a Yeerk – an enemy – to his ear, was sickening. But what choice did he have? If he left her, she would be found by the other Yeerks, and she knew too much for him to even consider risking that.

So Aximili hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should scoop the Yeerk up… or strike with his tail and split her in two pieces. The second idea was… tempting. It would make his life less complicated – it would be the 'right' thing to do, by all and any Andalite standards.

But then lying to his Prince (something he felt very bad about having to do), keeping Issetha secret from the others, and this trip to find Kandrona would all have been completely in vain – and if he was captured on the way out… he knew that he would not be lucky enough to be infested by a Peace Movement Yeerk a second time.

Better the enemy you knew than the enemy you did not know – Issetha would keep other intruders out, after all.

Making his decision, he stifled his disgust, scooped up the Yeerk and held her to his ear so quickly that he would not have a chance to reconsider at the last moment. The side of his head lost all feeling as she made her way in. Aximili tensed in disgust, and alarm, as his military instincts were screaming at him, but – like he had been doing a lot lately – he did his best to ignore them.

Much better, was the first thing the Yeerk said as she settled in his head. Thank you.

Aximili muttered something incomprehensible, and asked; Will you last three days?

I should think so. Thank you again, Aximili.

She must have noticed and gone through his actions while she had been swimming – the sabotage of the nutrients and the dracons, the stealing of the Kandronas, and the strong hesitations about picking her up again. She chose not to comment it, but Aximili thought he felt how she kept back even more than usual.

We need to leave, he said. Before they get worried back at camp.

Of course, she agreed.

Aximili hurried on the way back. He had had some troubles making the Kandronas morph with them – part of which could be based on his deeply rooted disgust for the things. But, after managing that, he had safely removed both himself, his Yeerk and the two stolen objects from the Sharing's building. He morphed harrier and flew back to camp as quickly as he could.

He made sure no-one was around to see him demorph – see the Kandronas – and the first thing he did was to make sure they were securely hidden among his few things near his scoop.

Perhaps it would have been a better idea to hide them somewhere where they could not be related back to him, but he knew of no such hiding place, had no time to look for one, and did not want to risk losing the objects.

Then he made sure he was seen by the Hork-Bajir, ran around on the grass where he usually fed, answered when his friends tried to engage him in conversation but, feeling uncomfortable, left as quickly as possible. He went off on his own to practice tail-strikes. People seldom bothered him when he practiced.

Issetha was silent. In fact, no-one spoke a single word to him until the next morning. He had slept at the same place he had practiced, glad to feel the wind against him and the cool night air around him. It gave him a sense of freedom.

In the morning he woke to see the leader of the Animorphs standing, waiting, in front of him, together with Toby. Marco, behind Jake, was carrying a rucksack carelessly slung over his shoulder. Issetha, who still had been in the half-doze that for Yeerks served as sleep, now awoke.

Yes, Prince Jake? he said. Is there to be a mission? He felt that he was hungry, so he added; Or can I eat some grass first?

"No, this won't take long, Ax," Marco said. "Jake just wants a word."

There was something that made Aximili tense at that, but he turned towards his Prince, waiting to hear what they wanted to tell him.

Jake grimaced at the hasty introduction from his friend, but then spoke; "Well, Ax, you have been acting a bit strangely since you returned from what Marco refers to as 'your game of hide and seek'."

Aximili glanced away, again uncertain, but his Prince added; "Ax, all eyes on me, I'm trying to talk to you."

The Andalite complied, although a bit hesitant, turning all four eyes towards his Prince, ignoring the warning bells that rang in the back of his mind, where his strict military training was deeply rooted. Jake continued; "I had Toby's people keep an extra eye on you while you were here in camp, and Tobias when you left camp."

Prince Jake, what –

Jake raised a hand irritably to silence him. "Let me finish, Ax. We're still not sure exactly where you were that day, and you didn't seem willing to tell us. So we were a bit suspicious. It's only natural – after living like this for a while, people go paranoid. But you didn't report us to the Yeerks, you didn't attack us, and you didn't leave camp at first possible chance, so we began to feel a bit better. But then after three days you leave, and you're gone far too long."

"And when you come back we find this," Marco finished. He emptied the rucksack he had been carrying, and out tumbled the spare Kandronas Aximili had stolen.

Jake glanced at them, and then calmly turned towards Aximili again. He spread out his arms. "Which, incidentally, needs a bit of explaining."


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Author's Note;

That didn't turn out to be one of the better chapters. And it took some time. (No, have not been busy. Have been lazy.)

Next part when it's done.