I just stared at him, unable to grasp the meaning of his words. I just shook my head- not really to disagree, just to clear it. "That's insane," I found myself saying. "Love isn't something you can kill, Jake," I said, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them. Jake. I had called him Jake. This creature- this thing that was not my Jake-
I had called him Jake.
He smiled, triumph in his eyes. I shook my head. No. "But love can die, Cassie," he said. "It dies all the time. Why wouldn't it be something that can be killed? It makes perfect sense. What is it they always say Cassie, do you remember? Love conquers all; love is the most powerful force in the universe? Well, the One has the power to destroy it." He looked a little amused then. "If the One can defeat love, what makes you think you can destroy him?"
"She's not alone," Erek spoke up then, and I felt his presence at my side. His hologram was gone and his true face was there. Toby moved up on my other side and I felt a wave of gratitude and love to them, my friends.
Jake smirked, and I felt myself harden at the sight. This was not Jake, not the real one. "Oh, a pacifist android and an anomaly Hork-Bajir. I'm sure my master is quaking in fear."
"'Your master?'" Toby snapped, wrist blades out in a threatening manner. "Whatever happened to Jake the leader, the person we knew?"
The smirk faded from his face and I saw deep lines on his face. God, he looked so old, so tired. So much like Jake again. The emptiness was back in his face- the emptiness that I had tried so hard to fill- so hard, and yet I had always failed. "I never wanted to be anyone's leader. You know that. And now, finally, someone else is in charge, someone else is making the hard choices. And I feel freer than I've ever felt before."
His words stung me worse than if he had slapped me. God, that sounded like Jake. It was Jake. My stomach twisted inside me.
Don't lose it Cassie. This is Jake, yes, but only a part of him. His dark side.
But for so long this had been the side of Jake I knew. The empty, hollow Jake, the Jake for who love was dead. The others were different- I could still remember their good sides enough not to be fooled by their darkness. By now, here, with Jake- everything had become so grey for him that I couldn't tell anymore.
I just couldn't tell.
"What do you want, Jake?" I asked, saying his name.
"It doesn't matter anymore. It only matters what my master wants."
"So what does he want then?" Toby demanded.
Jake paused, but he did not smile and he did not take his eyes away from mine. "What do you think he wants? To rule, to destroy, to control? Who knows- he may want a lot of things. All I know- and all you need to know- is that you cannot leave this place alive."
He began to change then, slowly, and I stumbled back from him, colliding into Erek. And then, from inside the vortex they all stepped out- Ax, Tobias, Marco- all in battle morphs.
Oh god.
(The One will have to send his thanks to the Ellimist for sending you all to him,) Jake said as black and orange fur began to sprout all over his body. (Because I am afraid, Cassie, that your long journey has come to an end.)
(Ironic isn't it?) I 'heard' Marco smirk. (You're going to be destroyed be the people you came here to save. Note to Alanis- now that's ironic.)
And then they were upon us.
Sorry this took so long and it's so short! I'm VERY busy these days- and to top it off, I've had MASSIVE writer's block! Help me reviewers! Send me more, encourage me to finish this! (Give me ideas... coughcough!) Thank you in advance!
I had called him Jake.
He smiled, triumph in his eyes. I shook my head. No. "But love can die, Cassie," he said. "It dies all the time. Why wouldn't it be something that can be killed? It makes perfect sense. What is it they always say Cassie, do you remember? Love conquers all; love is the most powerful force in the universe? Well, the One has the power to destroy it." He looked a little amused then. "If the One can defeat love, what makes you think you can destroy him?"
"She's not alone," Erek spoke up then, and I felt his presence at my side. His hologram was gone and his true face was there. Toby moved up on my other side and I felt a wave of gratitude and love to them, my friends.
Jake smirked, and I felt myself harden at the sight. This was not Jake, not the real one. "Oh, a pacifist android and an anomaly Hork-Bajir. I'm sure my master is quaking in fear."
"'Your master?'" Toby snapped, wrist blades out in a threatening manner. "Whatever happened to Jake the leader, the person we knew?"
The smirk faded from his face and I saw deep lines on his face. God, he looked so old, so tired. So much like Jake again. The emptiness was back in his face- the emptiness that I had tried so hard to fill- so hard, and yet I had always failed. "I never wanted to be anyone's leader. You know that. And now, finally, someone else is in charge, someone else is making the hard choices. And I feel freer than I've ever felt before."
His words stung me worse than if he had slapped me. God, that sounded like Jake. It was Jake. My stomach twisted inside me.
Don't lose it Cassie. This is Jake, yes, but only a part of him. His dark side.
But for so long this had been the side of Jake I knew. The empty, hollow Jake, the Jake for who love was dead. The others were different- I could still remember their good sides enough not to be fooled by their darkness. By now, here, with Jake- everything had become so grey for him that I couldn't tell anymore.
I just couldn't tell.
"What do you want, Jake?" I asked, saying his name.
"It doesn't matter anymore. It only matters what my master wants."
"So what does he want then?" Toby demanded.
Jake paused, but he did not smile and he did not take his eyes away from mine. "What do you think he wants? To rule, to destroy, to control? Who knows- he may want a lot of things. All I know- and all you need to know- is that you cannot leave this place alive."
He began to change then, slowly, and I stumbled back from him, colliding into Erek. And then, from inside the vortex they all stepped out- Ax, Tobias, Marco- all in battle morphs.
Oh god.
(The One will have to send his thanks to the Ellimist for sending you all to him,) Jake said as black and orange fur began to sprout all over his body. (Because I am afraid, Cassie, that your long journey has come to an end.)
(Ironic isn't it?) I 'heard' Marco smirk. (You're going to be destroyed be the people you came here to save. Note to Alanis- now that's ironic.)
And then they were upon us.
Sorry this took so long and it's so short! I'm VERY busy these days- and to top it off, I've had MASSIVE writer's block! Help me reviewers! Send me more, encourage me to finish this! (Give me ideas... coughcough!) Thank you in advance!