Since the next day was Saturday, we decided to all start looking. Jake and his group went home to sleep, and my friends and I decided to do the same thing. But the most sleep I got was about three, three and a half. But I wasn't complaining. Jake and the others, I'd learnt, hadn't slept for over a week. Now that was tough.
I had my usual tea and shower to wake me up, grabbing some cold toast from Ryan's plate before heading back into my room. I threw on whatever I found, and brushed my hair back into a ponytail, telling I told dad I'd be going out with some 'new friends'. He reminded me to be back before seven, because the that night we were going to pick my mum and little sisters up from the airport(since we'd learnt dad had got the job two days before) . As usual, I said yes, that was fine, and headed out the door, finding it was actually warmer than it had been in a while. It would be good for thermals, I guessed, and walked along until I reached the edge of the woods. But when I got there... I stopped.
Oh god... what if I...
"Hey, Jade!" I turned to see Jake and the other three coming up to me. They were all wearing warm clothes, but I didn't know for how long.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost" Cassie asked, looking concerned.
"Uh... it's ok. I was just thinking, that's all" I assured them. Together, we all trudged through the woods until we reached the familiar clearing. Ax and Tobias were waiting for us there.
(About time you guys got here) Tobias said, startling me when he moved in one of the trees, and beginning to preen his feathers.
"Where are my friends? Have you seen them?" I asked him as I looked around, seeing they were no-where to be found.
(Beats me. But I don't like it) He stared hard at me, and for a second I thought he was accusing me.
"Don't worry, they're probably on their way here now" Cassie assured me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Ever notice how when someone says 'don't worry', something always goes wrong?" Marco spoke up, moving further into the clearing to where Ax was, with the others following.
I got a bad feeling, looking up to check the sky for them.
Where are you guys...
Then, as if on queue, there was a slight shimmering above us, and the fighter lowered its cloak. It dropped slowly at first to avoid the others, then faster when they were out of the way.
The fighter itself was about the size of a bus. It was flat on the bottom, yet the rest was smooth and oval rounded. The wings were thin compared to the body, comically batlike, and the sharp ends were faced backwards. The engines were mounted in the centre of each, on the underside, with two at the back for better manoeuvrability, or so Ithiell tells us. The colour was dull grey, and I knew from experience that the laser weapons were carefully hidden in the wing tips and the front underside of it. It might have looked slow and harmless, but like the Chanaibens themselves, its looks were deceiving. Speed was this baby's advantage.
It landed carefully, then the hatch opened and my friends stepped out.
"Sorry we're late. We couldn't find our mysterious little Robert here" Ithiell apologised from inside, and I watched Amanda come down the ramp.
"So where was he?" I asked, wanting to hear his excuse.
"You don't want to know" Amanda replied, and Robert grunted inside.
"Well, now that the gangs all here, let's get started, shall we?" Marco said, smiling and rubbing his hands together.
"No problem. Come aboard" Ithiell said as Amanda made room for us to walk up the hatch. Jake and the others went up the hatch and inside, but I hesitated turning to Amanda and giving her a worried look. She smiled, shook her head, then pushed me aboard, with the hatch shutting behind us.
Inside, it was unbelievably small and crowded, and we had to spread out along the length of the inside just so we weren't squashed. I found myself standing beside Amanda and Marco, with the others just ahead of us. To me, it kind of felt like a small classroom now. Only, this classroom had three aliens, one with a deadly weapon we all had to avoid.
"Now, I've took the information you've given me, I've narrowed it down to these areas" Ithiell said as we all stood in the crowded fighter, watching as he pulled up a map on the screen.
"Four places?" Rachel sounded shocked.
"Do I have to go into how I got it down to this?" Ithiell asked as he and Rtaia returned to their normal selves.
(I believe it would confuse these humans even more) Ax stated, and Marco and Rachel stared at him.
"Why you little..."
"As you can see, these sites are relatively small compared to where you have been looking" Rtaia interrupted Rachel, who was now fuming.
"So it won't take all that long to look" I put in, finally seeing what Ithiell wanted us to see.
"Exactly" Ithiell smiled, then turned to Jake questionally.
At first, he was a little shocked, but then he sighed and said,
"Well, we could split up. How much grounds can this ship cover?"
"If we really didn't want to be found, because I get the feeling that the Yeerks would probably be doing the same thing as us, I guess we could do about... a little faster than your average bird of prey. Any faster, and the Yeerks will be on us in an instant" I felt the ship rise, and I realised Rtaia was taking the ship up into the air.
"All right then" Jake said finally, swaying a little like all of us to keep his footing "We'll divide up into teams. Ax, you're with Ithiell here, since two minds are better than one in a ship like this"
"And I will need someone at weapons if we do get found out. How good a shot are you Aximili?"
(I would predict I could make good use of your weaponry system, since it seems to be quite simular to our own technology) Ax went over to stand beside Rtaia and Ithiell, his hands already running quickly over the controls.
"Oh look, they're bonding already" Marco said only half-jokingly. I guess they did have a lot of similarities.
"Okay, you two will check..." Jake pointed to the top part of the map "This part, since it seems the biggest. Cassie, me and Rtaia will check this area. Marco, Rachel and Amanda will check this, and Tobias, Jade and..."
"Not me. I'm not going into any little teams" Robert interrupted.
"Then why did you bother to come along?" I asked him.
"I didn't have a choice"
"Then... what are you going to do?" Cassie asked.
"I'll help check the area, but I will not be flying around with you guys" He finally said, the scowl on his face making me want to scream at him again.
"Well, alright then" Jake wasn't sure what to do, so he continued "We'll spread out as far as possible, search every square inch, and come back to the fighter"
"I don't think that's a good idea. We'll come back to pick you up, one team at a time, just so you don't have to worry about finding us" Ithiell was at the controls now, and Rtaia moved enough to let him.
"Well, all right. But everyone? Be careful. The Yeerks could be out there, so try not to be spotted"
"And if they're not in these areas?" Robert, of course.
"Well, we look again tomorrow. They've got to be somewhere out there" Amanda spoke up beside me, and I could tell she was just as much fed up with him as I was.
It took us another few minutes to get to the first area, and when we did I realised my 'team' would be going first.
As I began to change into a golden eagle, I caught Tobias looking at me a little strangely.
"What?"
"Don't worry, he just has a 'thing' about bigger birds" Rachel said, and I caught Tobias almost glaring at her.
"Doesn't have a problem with you Xena" Marco mocked, suddenly looking a lot taller than I was.
When I was done, Ithiell opened the hatch doors, and a cool breeze swept into the crowded fighter. But before I could even spread my wings, Robert took off ahead of me, a blur of grey and white feathers. Peregrine falcon, should've known.
"Good luck guys" Cassie said as Tobias flapped his wings and took off, with me following after and feeling like a big clumsy bird behind the two.
But the moment I got out into that breeze... oh, it was heaven!
I flapped my wings, then soared on amazing updraft, feeling as free as... well... a bird.
(Prince Jake has told me to tell you that we will return in five hours if nothing has been found) It was Ax, and I was glad knowing they'd be back so soon. They moved off, and so did the three of us.
(That's it. I'll catch you in five) Robert suddenly took off in another direction, and I couldn't say I didn't feel the urge to chase after him. I mean, I was bigger, and...
(Spread out a little. We don't want to look to suspicious to the wrong people) Tobias said, seeming to ignore Robert. But I followed his advice, keeling off left and gaining a little more altitude before turning my attention to the ground. What I saw almost made me feel like I was much closer.
(This gives new meaning to the word 'eagle eyes') I said to myself, suddenly remembering that Tobias could probably hear me.
(What's up? Do you see anything?)
(Uh- no, just thinking to myself) I explained, and if I had cheeks I probably would've blushed.
We searched for a whole hour, hurting our necks from having to look down the entire time, before Tobias finally spoke up again.
(Does Robert always go off for this long? I mean, are you sure he's... you know, clear?)
(Yeah, I'm sure. Well, Ithiell made sure of it. But don't worry about him, he's... kinda what you call an... anti-social person. He can't even work with us without doing something like this) I lifted my head, just to see what was ahead of me for a moment, before turning my attention back down to the ground.
(Well, I can't see anything yet. Can you?)
(I can see forest, but that's all I see. And a bird. But other than that... nothing that looks like your walking razor blade friends)
(What kind of bird? Where?)
(On the ground. Little blackbird I think. Not Robert, if you're wondering)
(Oh)
After about two hours, we'd covered about three quarters of the area. And I was exhausted.
(Mind if I take five?) I asked, feeling like my wings were about to fold in on me.
(Sure. I need a break too) he said, and we both ducked under the cover of the trees, near a small stream. I changed back, drinking as much as I could, before leaning back on a tree to catch my breath. Tobias drank from the stream too, then fluttered up onto the branch next to me, his head twitching left and right.
"Maybe Ithiell was wrong. Maybe they aren't anywhere around here"
(Why do you say that?)
"Well, think about it. So far, we haven't seen a single thing. Not even another space ship, and I would be guessing if these Yeerks were following them we would at least have seen a ship, or a glimmer of a ship if it was cloaked"
(Well, I guess you're right. But don't throw this idea away yet. We still have a lot more ground to cover)
"Yeah, you're right. But... do you mind if I copy your form?"
(My what?)
"I mean, would you mind if I became a red-tailed hawk like you? I mean, it's obvious that you don't like me as a golden eagle, and the only other bird form I can do with good eyesight is an owl, so..."
(Well... sure. Just as long as we can get this over and done with) he sighed, and I focused on his form, making sure I got it just right. Very soon, we were both up in the air again, and for some reason I felt a bit lighter.
(Look... thanks. I know how you feel, and I just want it over and done with as well)
(Uh-huh) we were silent after that, focusing on the ground and watching for anything out of the ordinary. For a while there was nothing, until...
(Tobias! Hard left!) he didn't ask, he just did, and seconds later a red beam streaked past where he would've been seconds before.
(How did you know?)
(I used to be the scout on our missions) I told him as I looked down to see something that had blades on almost every part of its body. It was holding a funny looking gun, which I could only guess as being one of those Dracon beams.
(Is that one of your walking razor blades?)
(It's a Hork-Bajir, but... it's got a Yeerk in its head)
(Well, that would explain why it tried to shoot you)
(And where there's one... Jade, be on the lookout! There's more hiding beneath the trees!)
(Yeah, sure. But if they are here, that means...) I turned my attention to the area ahead of us, to see what looked like a small group of about five or so moving very quickly. None of them had guns, and none of them looked like they were bird-watching.
(Tobias, up ahead! Look!)
(Yeah, I see them. It looks like...)
TSSSSEWWWW!!!
TSSSEEEEERRRRR!!!
(Ahhhhhhhh!!!) I screamed in my head as well as vocally. The second blast was much more accurate, and it tore off my entire wing, leaving me in agony. But the worst was yet to come. I began to fall, flapping my other wing feebly, knowing when I hit there might not be any of me left.
(Jade!) Tobias cried, but it was too late, and I hit the ground with a hard thud. In seconds, the pain wasn't just in my arm, but everywhere! I felt like my ribs were broken, and I was finding it hard to breathe.
(Jade!) Tobias cried again, but I heard another shot fired and he yelped.
(No! Go... find the... others! Ge-t... them to... to the Hork-Bajir, be-fore... it's too late!)
(But what about you?)
(I can hide until you get back, now go!)
(But they'll catch you!)
(Let them try. Now go!!)
I heard more lasers being fired, and soon the commotion died down.
Please hurry, I don't know how long I have.
As slowly as I could, I began to change, this time into a mirror image of Rtaia, suddenly finding that I was well hidden in a dense thicket of shrubs. But the impact still racked my body, and I had to fight back the urge to cry out. I rolled onto my side, curling my thick tail up beside me as I held myself in a foetal position.
That's when I heard what sounded like the other Hork-Bajir, the ones with the guns, talking.
"I shot it right through the wing!"
"Well then you must've been imagining it, because it flew off"
"No, I got it! I swear!"
FFWWAAPP!
I heard something connecting with living flesh, then a thud, and my sensitive nose told smelled blood. Someone's head rolling? It sounded like it.
(Stupid fool! You can't even get an easy shot!) There was a voice in my head. Loud. But what...
"I-I'm sorry Visser, it... it won't happen again" Came a second voice, sounding terrified.
Visser? Now where have I heard that...
(Enough of that) Boomed the voice in my head (We have to catch those traitors before it's too late) I heard what sounded like deer hooves, and from my hiding place, I saw blue tanned fur, on thick deer legs, go walking past.
Ax? I wondered. But... no, this was the other one. The one they called Visser Three.
Oh great. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse...