I made a mistake! Well, lots of mistakes… I put that they were in Runchak space… but in fact they were actually in Bendis space… and the ship they're on, and the creatures… they're the Bendis, ok? (duh, silly me) But just so you know, ok… I'll be calling them Bendis thingys from now on…
Okay, this chapter will have to be from Ithiell's pov, ok? It'll be easier that way… enjoy…
Ithiell
"Hit the deck!" Jade yelled, knocking me down before I even had a chance to turn around and see what she was looking at. Seconds later, laser lights streaked above our heads.
"What the…?"
"Hunter robots! And they're not alone!!" Jade pulled me up and shoved me against the wall, before firing her weapon, and I finally saw what she was looking at. Several hunter robots, and behind them… at least a dozen of these Bendis creatures. But… something was wrong. They were, at least, twelve feet tall! Their ceiling was only inches above their heads.
The hunter robots fired again, and the three of us dodged it. I hit the floor, rolled, and jumped up on shaky human legs. If I was Chanaiben, I would have been faster… but for now… I'd just have to deal with it.
Robert and Jade fired at the same time, and two of the hunter robots exploded. Behind them, the Bendis were not moving. In fact… they were smiling. That's when I realised they seemed to be treating this like a side-show. But… the Bendis we ran across before… the smaller ones… seemed to be dim-witted and…
Tsssssseeeewwwww!!! Laser fire came inches from my ear. I ducked, and fired, aiming just right. The hunter robot I'd been aiming for exploded, bits of debris hitting and destroying the two that were just to the right of it. But there were still at least five more!
Three shot by us! Past and towards the two doors, then came back and began shooting from that side as well.
"Robert! Jade! Take that side! I'll deal with these three" I said ducking and rolling again, before aiming and firing. My shot went a little wild, but I had planned it that way. It hit two of the robots before my gun ran out of charge. I'd have to wait five seconds before I could hit the third. I waited as it hovered there, seeming to consider which angle to attack me from…
"Ahh!" Jade screamed, and I turned to see a hunter robot was right next to her head. If she moved, she'd be dead.
"How the…"
"I don't know" Robert snarled, aiming for it, but I think even he knew that if he fired while it was so close to her, the thing exploding would kill her too. It was a loose/loose situation.
"All right, that's enough fun. Hunter robots, return!" Came the voice, and as I watched, the two remaining robots made their way over to the Bendis, still standing in front of the dropshaft; our only means of escape.
"What… who said that?" I demanded. To my surprise, it was actually one of the Bendis who stepped forward and began to talk.
"You are not exactly one to be making demands, are you little human" it said… smiling at me, those wicked teeth making even me shudder at the sight.
"But… I thought you were… I thought you didn't talk!" Jade cried from beside me. Now, its face changed. It became… angry. To say the least.
"You must be referring to the children you have killed"
"Ch-children! Shit, those things were children!" Robert couldn't believe what he was hearing. In fact, neither could I. If those things were mere children… then what would that make these things? Surely not…
"Were they your children?" I asked cautiously. They let out what could have been cruel laughter. It sounded like giant dogs barking.
"No, for we are not at an age to bear children of such age. We are… as you humans would call…. teenagers"
I swear, I almost choked. I could tell my friends were having a simular reaction.
"I'd hate to meet the parents of these things" Robert muttered, and I sent him a sharp look. He shut up after that.
"Well… I apologise. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong… uh… foot here" I said, trying to make peace before these things attacked… as I knew they would… and rip us to shreds.
"There is no room for compromise here. Teh, Vim, show them what happens to ones who kill our brothers and sisters" it said, and two Bendis 'teenagers' stepped forward.
"Guys, get…" but I couldn't finish my warning, because before I knew it Jade was thrown across the room, hitting the double doors. Robert had been thrown against a wall, and the Bendis who had him had one of those gigantic arms across his throat, pressing hard and choking him.
Before I could react, I was down as well, and something was placed against my throat. One of their pincers! I felt it nick my skin and start to draw blood.
"You killed my sister Ban. You will pay" it seethed, pressing deeper. I was now finding it hard to breathe, and I knew more blood was beginning to seep from the small cut wounds.
Shift! I screamed inside my own head. Come on, shift!
But by the time I had begun to focus, I could barely breathe. Finally, the jagged pincers sliced across my throat, and I felt my blood spilling faster. I heard someone scream, and the thing that was above me disappeared. On purpose or not, I couldn't tell. Everything was going fuzzy…
(Don't you dare give up on us yet!) A female voice screamed (We've come this far… come on! Shift!)
Fuzzy still… I closed my eyes, and felt something trying to stop the blood. But… too late…
No, it wasn't! I saw an image of something… someone… in front of me… and I felt myself begin to change… almost unconsciously… into that other being. As I did, the fuzzy feeling began to clear, until I saw a giant cat's face in front of me, and that was joined by a polar bear. They almost looked relieved.
(Oh thank god you're all right!) Jade cried as I got up… in my own body… and looked around. The two Bendis that had tried to attack us were down… their blood pooling on the floor. I almost felt sorry for them. For the one whose sister I had killed…
Then I looked up at the rest of the Bendis. They looked… scared, almost. I smiled at this. For I knew why they were afraid. After all, it was a Chanaiben who led them…
"You… kill them! Kill the Chanaiben mongrels!" the first one screamed, in both terror and anger.
"Back up, and be ready to…" I started to say, but at that moment the double doors behind us opened, and a single figure stepped out. They backed off immediately. I just stared. I couldn't believe it! After all this time… and now she was so close…
"Don't kill them. Not just yet. I want to have a little fun with them first…"
But the moment she said that… I knew it wasn't her. It was the abomination… and I knew, no matter what happened, the Yeerk in my sister's head must die.
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Amanda
I stood beside Rtaia at the computer console, fighting back a yawn. Seconds later, I lost.
"Amanda!" Cassie hissed.
"Sorry" I muttered, then went to stand beside Marco the gorilla at the door. He'd said he'd rather have some real firepower when it came to fighting whatever else was on this ship. None of us objected. Besides, we probably knew he'd do it anyway. Men… always wanting to fight with brute force…
"I have been successful in decrypting the security codes. I am now accessing the computer database in order to…"
(No wonder Ax married you; you talk just like him!) Marco said to Rtaia, shaking his big gorilla head. Rtaia looked a bit sore at him, but she continued to do what she had to do, working through the systems until she found what she had to. All of a sudden, in my headset I heard Jade yell 'hit the deck!' and we all tensed up.
We listened to what they were saying, and doing, until all three of their microphones stopped working, and all we heard was static.
"Oh my god…" I whispered. Beside me, Marco had tensed up.
(Jade… oh god are they…)
"No. Remember, they can all shape-shift. And none of them will give up without a sure fight" Rtaia said from where she was working. But I knew she was right. I'd just have to trust that the three of them would be ok. My boyfriend…. my best friend… and Robert, a boy who had become like another brother to me. They were all strong, all in their own ways. They could do it. They had to.
"I know they can do it" I said sounding more confident than I felt. Beside me, Marco nodded, and Cassie smiled at us in reassurance. I went back over to Rtaia and Cassie, looking over Rtaia's shoulder. All I saw was some strange writing, so I decided to just let Rtaia handle it. Then, my earpiece crackled to life.
"Guys, did you heard that?" Jake asked us.
"What do you think?" I muttered, realising I must've sounded just like Robert when I said that.
"Yeah, well, we're all set up here. Just wait for us… we'll come to you, and then all of us can go up and rescue those three when we're done"
"No, I think the four of you should go up now" Rtaia's tone was intense.
"What? Why?" Rachel asked.
"If they are in real danger, they might need help sooner than we think. And I may still be a while here… I still need to find the right system to plant the virus in" Rtaia said.
(Perhaps I could come and assist you) Ax suggested.
"No. If it is as bad as I think it is, you will need all of you. Especially you, dear heart"
"As much as I hate to admit it Ax, she's right. Let's go!" Jake said.
"We'll keep in touch. Don't worry" Asen added, and I heard Rachel mutter something, but I didn't quite pick it up. Mostly because there was now something pounding on the closed door where Marco was. He jumped back, demorphing almost unconsciously. Then he realised what he was doing and reversed it.
(Guys? Whatever's doing this… I might need some help to stop it)
"How much longer until you can get that virus in?" Cassie asked Rtaia, looking from her to the door, then back to her again.
"Three minutes, maximum" Rtaia replied, and I could tell she was speeding up. Her fingers were moving faster now.
"Looks like we'll have to hold them off until then" I said, and I saw Cassie was already morphing.
"No!"
"Whhrroaak?" She was already more wolf than human.
"Think big! Think… elephant!" I said, already growing. My ears exploded from the sides of my head, and my upper lip and nose melted together, beginning to stretch out. I moved away from the computer console, to the centre of the room. I was glad now that it was such a big room.
(As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. Whatever's on the other side of that door is too-) At that moment he lost his ability to thought-speak, already shrinking back to his human self.
"All right" Cassie was now human again, moving beside me and starting to morph again. Already I was about three times bigger than I had been, and I managed to take the earpiece off my face with my still-forming trunk before I broke it. I knew I was going to need it later. Marco was now on the other side of me, morphing to rhino. When we were all big and dangerous, Marco said,
(All right. We try to hold that door as long as possible, and if they manage to break through before Rtaia's finished, then we'll have to fight them off, all right)
(Right) Cassie and I replied in unison. We went towards the door, guiding Marco there, and pressed all of the weight we could against it. After all, it was smaller than all of us together. Our heads just fit against the door. Immediately I felt the pounding of the thing that was on the other side. Or things, I couldn't be sure.
All I knew was we were all now in it deep, and there was a chance we could now all die…
Okay, that's all for now, but I promise I'll try to have another chappie up before the week is over. That damn writers block is starting to creep in again (so frustrating!)
LittleMidgett; sure, I'll help in any way I can. You left it at the Rachel popping up again, well… it could be the speedy things on it, or the Ellimist and Crayak playing with them again… or time went wonky, and there are now two of everyone…
I don't know. I ran out of ideas. Hope I helped though… BYZ!!