karone-sakura (sp?)- thanks for all your support... here's tha next chappie 4 u...
Okay, I'm doing this from Jake's Pov, just because I didn't seem to have any complaints about it before. And it's the only way I can write this chappie. So, here it goes...
Jake
(Marco? MARCO!)
(Unngh... anyone get the number of that bus that ran me over?)
(Uhhh..... y-eah. He's fine)
(Or was it a truck?)
(FINE?!) Amanda yelped (My god, he's delirious!)
(No he's not. He's just being himself)
(Got that right) Marco said, fluttering his left wing helplessly on the ground (I saw it! That damn bus hit me!)
(Oooookaayy... maybe he is delirious)
(Gotcha!) Ithiell suddenly sprang from the trees, sweeping Marco up in his powerful wolf jaws, and darting the Tahjetts paralysing tentacles. Good thing wolves are so agile.
He vanished from sight under the cover of the trees as the Tahjett hissed at him, waving its tentacles menacingly.
"That wassss my meal! MINE!!"
(Hey! We're not anybody's meal you stupid truck!) Marco yelled from somewhere under the trees.
(Marco, would you just focus for once in your life?!) I called down to him as Cassie and I circled overhead, waiting for an ok from Amanda. She'd gone down first, with Ithiell, so that if there was trouble, they'd be able to deal with it better than us as humans. Marco had gone down too close to the creature, and was nearly its entree.
(Ok, do it) Amanda said and we dropped into the trees. I heard Amanda barrelling out, drawing its attention away from us while we demorphed. An elephant would be able to stand a chance against the Tahjett. At least, that's what we hoped.
I quickly rose from the bushes as I heard an elephant trumpeting, and that was soon joined by a second one. Ithiell. Finally, I was human again, and I squinted to see vague outlines of my friends trying to keep the Tahjett at bay.
(Hurry up! We can't do this alone!) Ithiell yelled to us, sounding slightly panicked.
I looked at Cassie, or the outline of Cassie's form, and nodded. Big. We were going to get very big. I concentrated on the rhinoceros DNA I had within me, feeling the changes begin slowly at first, then faster. My face stretched out, and two horns erupted from my nose. My legs turned big and thick, and the little ropy tail sprouted out of my back. Then the rest of my body decided to grow. Beside me, Cassie was becoming a full grown African elephant. The plan; to distract the Tahjett and keep it at bay while Amanda and Ithiell shape-shifted into the things we needed. One was a Tahjinn, the other... the horrible monster Visser Three became in our very first battle with the Yeerks. If it hadn't been for him, Tom might have escaped that night, and I wouldn't have had to kill him...
(Cassie, you're going to have to guide me. I can barely see!)
(No problem. A little to your left... guys watch out... and... charge!)
I charged, running on my four massive legs, seeing a very dim shape of something and heading straight for it, hoping it wasn't one of my friends. When I hit something soft and wet, sending it flying, I knew it wasn't.
(Hey, good hit!) Ithiell said, sounding surprised.
(Yeah. Now get back and get big and mean) I told him.
(On it!)
(Marco, you're veering too far to the left... right a little more... go for it!) Amanda's voice cut through the haze. There was a soft whack! before something came skidding across the ground, near me.
(Ha! Spot on! Thanks Amanda!)
(Not a prob. Dropping back now)
(Good. Hurry up)
WHAP!!
(Ahhhhh!!!)
(Cassie!!)
(My trunk is numb! I can't move it!)
(How did it...)
(That damn thing's faster than we thought!)
(Guys, watch it!) I warned.
(Oh, you think?!!) Marco said shrilly.
(Cassie, guide me and Marco! We'll take care of it!)
(Okay... Marco, to turn to you right... a little more... charge!!)
(Ahhhh!!!)
(What?! What happened?!)
(Got my left leg with those paralysers!)
(Hang on guys! I'm almost done!)
(Cassie!)
(Left Jake! NO, a little more right! Go... no, turn your head! Yes!)
My horn hit something, and I thought I saw something moving in the near-darkness. Then whatever it was came back and slapped my front legs, and I was down!
(Urgh!!)
(Jake!!)
(I'm ok! Cassie, just...)
(I'm here! Guys, back off and demorph!)
(What about Ithiell?!)
(Almost done! Amanda, you can do this!)
(I know that!) Something passed me, making me jerk my head towards it. But it was faster, and sidestepped my horns.
(Amanda?)
(Yep, just me!) Then I heard a hissing voice again...
"What are you doing here? You're ssssuppossssed to be getting your own food"
"Thisss issss my food" Amanda replied in the same hissing tone.
(Eeeeeeuuck! I'm going to throw up!)
(No you're not) I said as I felt a horn nudging me, pushing me along a little.
(Come on man, start demorphing) Marco said.
(Where's Cassie? Cassie!)
(She's ahead of us. Come on Jake, move it!)
I demorphed quickly, and as I became lighter, Marco slid me into the undergrowth, before he joined me, slowly shrinking. When I was fully human, I looked around and saw Cassie join us.
"You lossst me my food. You will pay" The Tahjett hissed at Amanda. Amanda hissed back just as menacingly. I watched closely in the near-darkness as it waved its four tentacles, and Amanda responded. But I'd seen the thing moving quickly to us from the left, and I knew Amanda would be all right.
(Amanda, back off a little. I'm going to blow this thing to smithereens)
(I can't! It'll just follow)
(You're tentacles Amanda! Surely if it can paralyse, so can you)
(You never know... hey wait! I can feel it. I have six that can! Heh heh heh...)
Don't get too cocky, I thought as Cassie and Marco stood on either side of me, all of us watching and waiting, seeing if they needed some help or not.
(Good, then...)
(Ahhh!! Oh, that's just... ha ha! See how you like that, you little...) Amanda had been whipped by the tentacles, but she simply turned it around and whipped back. It screamed in rage and agony.
(Amanda, now!)
Amanda practically slithered backwards as a ball of flame hit the Tahjett dead centre, and it screamed in pain. Inside, I felt some satisfaction that this thing was getting what it deserved.
Another ball hit it, and it screamed in pain again, being engulfed by the fire. It tried to run, but Amanda stopped it, nearly getting burnt herself.
(Oh! Hot! Hot!)
(It's all right, I got it!) Ithiell yelled, grabbing the Tahjett with his strange arms, throwing another fireball at the creature. Now, it couldn't escape. We watched as it burned... and burned... until it was no more than a pile of ashes in Ithiell's hands.
"Did we... is it really gone?" Cassie asked from beside me.
(It's gone) Ithiell assured her as he and Amanda began to shrink. Soon, it was just a small bunch of idiot teens in the middle of a black forest.
"Good. Can we leave now? This place is really starting to creep me out" Amanda said, shivering when she was fully human.
"Yeah. Let's go" I said. We morphed again, this time to owls, and flew back to the ship.
(I wonder how the others went) Marco mused as we flew.
(We won't know until we get back)
(Shouldn't we... you know, go look for them?) Amanda.
(No. They'll be ok) Ithiell responded. We flew in silence after that, until we saw the lights of the Inaad. But as we did, I knew immediately that something was wrong. The hatch was open, and Robert and Tobias were sitting on the bottom steps...
(Guys?)
(Yeah, I see them too)
(Out for a smoke?) Marco tried to joke, but his voice was tense.
(No... something's wrong) Cassie said (Look at their faces)
(You're right. Let's go see what it is)
We landed and demorphed in front of them. Robert didn't look up, but Tobias did.
"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked as soon as I had a mouth. I was afraid one of the others were dead.
"It's Jade. She's... critical condition. Lost a lot of blood..." Tobias choked out.
"What... from fighting the Tahjinn?"
"No" Robert said, although he still hadn't looked up "Her stitches came out, and she was bleeding... I got her here just in time. She's gotten bad. Too much blood lost..."
"Is she... we can't let her die!" Marco cried.
"No. We need someone else's blood"
"Whose?! I'll give anything to..."
"Rachel's blood matched hers. Type O. I don't know about any of you... she's getting a transfusion as we speak" He finally looked up at us. His face was pale. Worried.
"Well... is it..."
"Jake, they think you can maybe help too. If you..."
"Sure. I'll do anything I can to help" I said. The sight of Robert so concerned made me worried.
"Good. Because if she dies, so do you"
-----------------------------------------x-----------------------------
I gave what blood I could, shocked at seeing Jade so still and so pale. She almost looked dead. And that wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted to see her happy with Marco again. I wanted to see her and Robert going one-on-one about the stupid things they always did. Laugh with the girls about who-knows-what. That's what I wanted. Not this deathly figure laying flat on the table, still in her blood-drenched clothing.
The next few days only the doctors and nurses went in, with the exception of Ithiell and Amanda. Not even Marco was allowed in. We all did our best to support him, but I could tell he was afraid for her. We all were. Rachel had no doubt in her mind that she'd be fine, and Ax vaguely agreed with her, but I could tell he wasn't sure.
A week later, we were allowed to visit her, one at a time. The girls went in first, then Marco, Tobias, Ax, Robert and finally me.
I walked in, looking down at her. She didn't look much different from the week before. Besides the fact that her eyes were open this time. And they looked as bright as ever.
"Hey, how are you?"
"All right. Could be worse. I could be dead"
I winced "Don't say that. We don't want to..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know" She said, waving at me dismissively. I sat beside her on the chair, and she turned her head to look at me. I noticed someone had changed her clothes as well. Probably Amanda.
"I'm sorry" I suddenly blurted.
"What do you have to be sorry about? It was my suicide plan"
"I mean..." I don't know what I meant. I felt guilty that I was fine, while she was lying here, recovering from a near-death experience.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. A little rest and then I'll be the pain in the butt you all know and love" she smiled at me. I forced a smile back.
"Jade, I..."
"Don't get all sappy on me. Amanda, Cassie and even Marco have already done that"
"I'm not..." I sat up straight "I just wanted to say... I'm glad you're all right"
"Well so am I" There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.
"Jade, I've heard that..."
"That Ithiell's going to go after Inaad? Yeah, I know. He was in here a few days ago, talking to me about it" she let out a weak laugh "But of course at that time I was still in a fuzzy daze. And before you say anything, no, I did not see a bright light. Robert asked me that" She added.
"But do you think you could... if we did go after her? Will you be..."
"Hey, I'll be fine. Ithiell's saved my butt countless times before, so it's only fair I return the favour" We sat in silence again before my time was up.
"Jade?"
"Yeah Jake?"
"Hurry up and get better so we can go kick some Yeerk butt" I said, getting up and patting her arm gently. She returned the smile.
"Jake, you know I will"
I stared at her.
"What?"
"I'll say this again; are you sure you're not a weird mix between my cousin and Marco?"
She laughed, sounding almost as strong as before "I wish Jake. Then I'd be smart and fearless like you"
"Like... me?" She nodded, and laughed a little before Simai came in, ushering me out and going to do something with Jade. But before the door shut I turned back and saw her face. She was still grinning from ear to ear.
I don't know who's worse, I thought, my cousin... or her?
There are some things you just can't answer. This was one of them.