Chapter 14

I woke up one mourning, (it was a Tuesday I believe) and everything was quiet. I walked out my room and into the hall. I didn't see anyone. I peeped into the other's rooms. They were all still sleeping, but Leo was supposed to wake us up by now. The entire base was different.

"Alright you slackers!" A load voice on the intercom blared. "Get your asses up." I heard everyone suddenly wake up. "I hope you enjoyed your extra hours of sleep, because it may be the last you'll have for a long time."

"What the hell is going on," Zane asked, walking outside.

I shrugged.

"Things are going to be a little different with that slacker, Leo off the job," the voice laughed hardily. "My name is Cray...."

"Oooh, he's terrifying..."

"And I will be in charge of this base from now on," he finished. "I want all the freaks on the base to report of my office. You have 2 minutes."

"Isn't he pushy," Zane snorted. He and I have both cringed at the "freak" comment.

We all stood in front of our new commander. He was a raptor. His green eyes glared at us as if he hated us with a passion.

"When I call your name answer," he said. "RatTrap."

"Here."

"You're Number One now."

"Excuse me," I said.

"You heard me," he said. "He's number one. Sindel Raptor."

"Rip Raptor," I snorted.

"Not any more, Number Two."

I growled. "I beg your pardon if I sound rude, Sir, buy we have names, we'd be appreciative if you would call us by that."

He put his clip board down. "I believe I should lay down a few ground rules for your freaks," he said. "I'm not going to sugar coat things for you, like that idiot Leo, I am in charge now, and I expect you obey every command I give. Including my name. You are nothing but freaks brought here to fight against the Yeerks, manly to assonate Visser Three. A failed mission, that will be given dues to where it's need, and will be corrected." He glared at me. He knew. The Visser must've shown his face to the government in order for that to happen. "You do not have the rights as the other people of this race for you are not of this race at all. You will not socialize with anyone in this base. The only words you may speak to is when I address you. The only places you are allowed is your quarters, your hall, your training room, your showers, and the mess hall, only when called there, understood? There will be no physical contact between anyone and yourselves on these grounds. No, sexual intercourse at all, we don't want your kind multiplying; and last but not least no vacations."

I slammed my fists on his desk. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" I demanded. "We're not animals or things you can push around! We're people too! You push us you're going to get a serious arse whooping. Even Leo knew that!"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I am in command here, you follow my way or you will pay."

I jumped in a crotch on top of his desk. "I don't think you understand who you're messing with! You push me too hard and I will kill you. In fact, I might kill you right now!"

"Whoa, Rip!" Copper and Silverbolt grabbed me by the arms.

"Stand down," Silvy said. "You're over reacting. Do not do anything stupid."

"He's the one that's going to get...."

"Hey c'mon, not here." Copper said. They pulled me off the desk. Copper's grip was good enough to hold me so Silvy let go.

"I'll have to had that tantrum to your punishment," Cray said.

"Punishment?"

"You let Visser Three escape, twice," he pointed out. "Your sentence will be carried out as soon as I get this paper work done."

"You have no idea what kind of situations I was in!" I yelled. "I was not in the position either way to kill him."

"Then a useless weapon does not deserve to exists," he pointed out. "You have to get rid of it. Your choice, the light sentence or death."

My fists remained clutched. I turned my head and snorted.

"I'll take that as the light sentence," he grinned evilly. "Very well, you are all dismissed. One, to the chambers please."

I've heard of the chambers, no one had ever dared bring me there though. I would kill them if they did. That was my plan for this guy. I was going to do it, there was nothing anyone could do about it. However, there was a certain chain of events.

"Ki ropes?!" I demanded, yanking at my wrists. "How the hell did you get these."

"Sanalites," Cray replied. "It looks like you've had experience with them. How?"

I snorted at him. "Please, you worm, my business is my own."

"I own you freaks." He lifted my chin. "I can do whatever whim I want with you." He smirked. "Hmmm, for someone so young, you are a well developed female."

I spat in his face. "Don't you dare! I'll kill you if you ever try, you bastard, and I am fully capable of it."

"With those ki ropes on you are," he said, whipping away my spit. "I can kill you were you are."

"Then do it," I said. "I have been longing for it for a long time now, hun."

"Not just yet, there is still one thing you were assigned and haven't finished yet," he said. "I still need you to kill Visser Three. Hopefully this little punishment will toughen you up for tomorrow, when I send you all to Earth."

"Earth?"

"Rip?!" Copper ran up to me in a hurry. "What did he do?" He grabbed my arms.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled in my defense. I didn't want anyone to touch me at that moment. Not even Copper. I kept holding my own body. I was in pain, in more than one way.

He backed up in shock. I suppose I shouldn't have yelled at him. He glanced down at my wrists. He saw how raw they were from the ki chains. He should've seen my back. "C'mon, Rip, let me clean that up." He held a hand out to me. I back up hesitantly. I didn't feel like trusting anybody at that moment...but this was Copper after all. I soon followed him in his quarters.

I kept a robe to my chest as he tended to the lashes on my back. "Kami, that jerk, look what he did to you."

"I'm used to it," I replied. "Between with what my father and Visser Three did to me, this is nothing."

"Actually you have a lot more wounds and deeper ones than when you had your Yeerk encounter."

"I guess that wasn't what hurt me the most tonight."

He spun me around. "Rip, what did he do to you?" he demanded. "I can tell by the look in your eyes that's not all that ass did. Tell, me what?!"

I looked away. I stayed silent.

"He didn't rape you, did he?"

"No," I said, almost with no sound to my voice. "He never got to that point, buy he came close to it."

A look of rage came across my friend's face. "How dare he?!"

"I will kill him myself," I said. "After our Earth mission, then I will kill him no sweat. He's mine."

He looked at me with his big golden eyes. "Rip, I can't even imagine what you're feeling now."

"I feel nothing," I said. "Remember, I am only a weapon."

"Shut up! You're not some emotionless weapon! You know it and I know it!"

I stood up and put a robe on my body. "I thank you for tending to me, Copper," I said. "I think these will do for now. I believe I am capable of changing my bandages when the time comes."

He narrowed his eyes up at me. "You're impossible as ever, Rip."

"Yes, I am aren't I?" I mocked. "But that's why you love me right?" I looked over my shoulder briefly at him. Only to see what his reaction to my words would be. I received a blank and confused message in his eyes so I turned and left him.

I clinched my robe firmly. I was hating the mixed emotions I was receiving from him and myself. I blew it off as much as I could as I left for my bed.

I pulled my grey gloves on and did a few casual flips to my hair. It was soon time for a cut. It was down to my shoulder blades now. I dressed more modest than I usually did. I did not want the others to see my scars, to see how week was. I couldn't let them know that I was weak. They depended on me to get the job done. I failed them, I failed myself, twice, and I couldn't do it again. I wasn't allowed to do it again. I wasn't going to allow myself to do it again.

"You look ready," Jessi said, as I passed her.

I looked over at her. "I'll give anything to get out of this hell house. Rest assure, Jess, once this is over, then they have nothing on us. We will see past these walls, and we will live according to our rules. I promise that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Rip," she said.

"I don't."

"Hey, ladies, stop chatting and let's go!" Zane yelled. "I want to get this job done as fast as we can."

We all boarded the ship. Soon we were on our way to Earth.

"Okay, kids," RatTrap said. "Before we get even close to this little blue jewel, let's lay out a few ground rules. First off, humans have no lives beyond their planet, so they don't know about other beings other than humans. This means that we have to look like them. I know, we all love our mid-forms more than anything, but we don't want to get into trouble over there. We need a low profile."

"Sounds easy enough," Copper replied. "What about their culture?"

"They're not much different from us actually," he replied. "So just act ourselves and we should blend right in. Also, no ki you guys. It's not normal on that planet to fly and shoot blasts out of our hands."

"Darn," I cursed.

"There's one more thing we need to keep in mind," he pointed out. "There's rumor there that there are Andalites on the planet. They are said to be maybe 6 or 7 of them."

"Just what we need," Zane grumbled. "If there's anything worse than a Yeerk, it's an Andalite. Damn blood snatchers."

"I'm not thrilled about the fact they used our blood to make their morphing technology either," Silverbolt commented, putting his arms across his chest.

"Let's hope it's not that Andalite kid you ran into while on vacation," Jessi pointed out to me. "He's out for your blood."

"Gimme a break," I gruffed. "I was I supposed to know his cousin wasn't Visser Three. I mean it's not everyday you have Andalites in Trium forests."

"One more thing," RatTrap reminded. "Mendalites have already sent their forces to Earth. However, there has been no improvement on the invasion there sense they arrived."

"Our mission is not on the invasion," I pointed out. "It's the Visser. Once he's dead then we're out of there."

"Do you think you can handle it this time?" Sabra asked. "You're last two encounters gave you the run for your money."

I glared at her evilly. I felt her chill. "Do not remind me," I snapped. "The Visser got lucky both rounds. There is not a church of any kind on his Blade Ship, and I have grown a resistance to Holy Water."

"And what if he used Ki ropes?" she questioned. "If your ki is disabled then you have no chance."

I smirked and looked at my hand. "I have been developing a method for those too," I grinned. "Unlike most people, I learn for my mistakes. These will not be repeated. The Visser will die, and in my hands."