Karone-Sakura; hmm… we'll see…
Elwing; thanks for your support and positive attitude towards this story… it really helps a lot. COOKIES FOR YOU!
LittleMidgett; ah, yes, I saw that… very good chapters… so sad… WRITE ON!
And I DID warn ya it was gonna be twisty… hehehe…. hope Mark catches you when you faint!
Tiamath; yes yes, I know you're waiting. I just gotta get past a couple more chappies before I can do the ultimate move… hopefully it won't disappoint you at all…
( )- Whoever you are, you brought up an interesting point. And this was suuuchh a dilemma when I was thinking of twisting it this way; I mean, cause James, when they meet him, is in a wheelchair, and yeah they can shift (because its passed down though the genes) but it doesn't heal like, broken things… so in the end I decided 'stuff it, I'll let 'em morph instead… hope you don't mind…
Okay, on with the show!
Oh, andeveryone take a mega big cookie so you can munch as you read this...
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Robert
I ran at the Visser, only to be knocked back again. I landed, the air escaping my lungs.
We had to save Jake!
One by one, we ran at the stupid squid creature, only to be knocked back.
James, Timmy, Ax, Rachel… Rtaia and Ithiell in a double-team manoeuvre…
All knocked back. It seemed helpless. Until…
A flash! A glint of something out of the corner of my eye! Something running…
"HHHREEEEEIIIIYAAAAAA!" A scream, and my head shot around to see Sakura sever the tentacle at Jake's throat with one clean slash with both swords, and jump backwards. Visser One screamed in agony, then…
A Hork-Bajir! NO!
I ran… leapt… knocked Sakura over and pinned her under me. The Hork-Bajir ended up finding my back…
(AAAAAARRRRRGHHHHH!) I screamed. The pain!
"Robert!" Sakura cried as I turned and drew a deep and deadly red line across the Hork-Bajir's face. He went down after that.
(Sakura! Can you get up!)
"Yes, but-"
I sliced open a Taxxon that was coming at her, then…
(They're going after the Visser!) Ithiell shouted (Their hunger is making them…)
And then I noticed as the Hork-Bajir leapt to defend their Visser.
I backed up, keeping Sakura covered, both of us watching in awe as-
(Everyone out!) Jake ordered. From somewhere in the madness, James repeated the order. I ran, keeping Sakura at my side… keeping her safe… how did she get here…
Then I realised it. The HB's. Had to be. Either that, or the Ellimist had somehow picked up on the game.
As we ran out into the night, I saw a lion part-dragging a Chanaiben creature called a Jinnaw into the night by the neck. It was slowly moving with him, then began to pick up speed.
With one look around, I knew it was Jade. Noted the irony of the situation, then decided to save my comments for later…
We all ended up in the woods, where everyone either demorphed or shifted back. Once in my own body, Sakura hugged me tight.
"You saved my life!"
"Yes" I gasped out, feeling some of the weariness from the battle "And you saved Jake's"
"I did what I was destined to do"
Okay, back to that fate and destiny crap. Didn't mind it as much anymore…
I looked around at the now pitiful group of disabled kids, feeling a pang of guilt, and then it was gone. Most were swiftly morphing again, back to bird. I spotted Desiree looking around, biting her lip, then talking to Ithiell. Then Jade, sitting flat on her butt, beat as hell, with James smiling and talking to her. He turned to his friends, said something that I didn't quite pick up, then started morphing as well. Desiree morphed too, somehow reminding me of Jade, then they started to lift off.
"All right, let's move it people!" Ithiell ordered, and a little while later I was his…. evil twin… carrying Sakura in my arms. We were passing over the valley before we realised something we should have seen before.
Jake and Cassie were missing.
-x-x-x-x-xc-c-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Jade
Well, after we nearly crapped ourselves thinking we'd lost the two in battle or something, we found they were just fine. Both were coming back, one by one.
Neither seemed happy at all.
I left Jake alone, knowing he didn't need me hanging around like a bad smell. It was just a feeling, I guess… a feeling that said 'stay away' emanating from him. So, I did.
Desiree came back to camp, and went in to join Robert's mum. She seemed to be latched onto that woman lately…
I grabbed Hannah off Toby… who had always been remarkably careful with her… not even a scratch… and went to feed her by a stream away from the others. A quick nappy change, and she was asleep in my arms.
I sat there, mildly content, thinking about it all. The fight… seeing Robert so banged up from his father… Jake, and then being knocked out…. not being able to help the others…
IT IS NOT OVER YET. THERE IS STILL MUCH MORE TO DO.
Okay, that mildly content feeling? Went out the door.
Now, I was peeved beyond imagining.
"Don't you think I know that!" I hissed "Don't you think that-"
YOUR SON IS STILL TO BE TESTED. HE IS A CURIOUS SPECIMIN.
"He is not a specimen!" I snapped into the sky "He's my son!"
I was amazed Hannah didn't even stir. Like her uncle; could sleep through anything…
APOLOGIES. HE IS TO BE TRAINED, BEFORE TESTED.
"And when will this test be?" I gritted my teeth.
MUCH LATER ON. SO THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
"And how is he to be trained?"
SAKURA WILL TRAIN THEM.
"Them? Them?-!-! Hey! Wait a second…"
DESIREE WILL BE TESTED ALSO. THEY ARE…EXCEPTIONAL
"Glad you think that way" I grumbled "Ya know, if ya had a real form, I'd kick you where it hurts"
A small laugh, then nothing. HBs were gone.
For now.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
James
I flew to the valley, after talking to… well, something, that's for sure. It told me I was to be trained and then… tested. But for what… I had no clue.
I asked them about my friends. They said they'd be fine.
As I left my window, I caught a glimpse of what looked like me in my chair. But… couldn't be!
I made sure they also knew I'd be back for my friends, to help them and make sure they didn't fall apart. They agreed to it.
So I flew, without really having much idea where I was going, until something… well, suddenly I knew exactly where it was, and the trick the 'Ellimist' had put on the place.
I saw Jake pacing near a cliff, and hoped he wouldn't jump off it or anything, and flew onwards, seeing each of my new friends and team-mates, all doing different things. Some where with their families, and others talking to the free Hork-Bajir.
It was kind of creepy, knowing I'd just fought those things only hours before, knowing that without Yeerks in their heads, they were just big kids who liked tree bark.
Then I saw Jade. She was sitting by a stream, a baby in her arms. It looked like she was muttering something, and when I got close enough I realised she wasn't really speaking English. Some kind of Latin? I couldn't tell.
I swooped over her, then landed not far away. I don't even think she noticed I was there.
SHE IS SOMEONE WHO LOVES YOU VERY MUCH.
(Huh? Whoa? Wait, she loves me! But… she hardly knows…)
SHE KNOWS YOU. AND YOU KNOW HER. SHE IS YOUR MOTHER.
If I'd have been human I would've choked. This… a girl who was probably younger than I was… they were really trying to sell me on this line of…
Then it was like looking through someone else's eyes. I saw where they went in the past. It was like a flash of several places, cries, sadness, happiness… Jade holding someone… me…
(Say… what? Hey, what was…)
YOU WERE BORN FAR IN THE PAST. YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE, TO THE PRESENT, TO BE TESTED. SO FAR YOU HAVE PASSED THE TESTS.
(But… does she…)
SHE DOES. AND YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE
(Hey! What are you getting at?-!) I yelled, but I felt they were gone. Then, Jade turned to me.
"Tobias? Is that you?"
(Uh… no. It's uh… James)
"Oh" she seemed about to say something else, then decided against it. I demorphed and sat next to her, trying to smile but not quite pulling it off. This was all too freaky…
"So, who's this little creature?" I asked. She smiled.
"This is my daughter. Hannah"
"Say what? You had another one?" The words just popped out of my mouth. I clamped a hand over it, knowing it was already too late.
She gave me a strange look, then slowly nodded.
"So, the HBs have talked to you too?"
"HBs?"
"Higher Beings. I'm sure they made you come here"
"Uh… yeah. Um… about what I said…"
"I understand. So, I guess they told you everything?"
"Um… not really…" I then laughed "Hey, what's funny was they said you were my mom!"
"I am" not even a seconds hesitation. I stopped laughing.
"Are you… no, you're not…" I told her what I'd seen. She nodded again.
"Yeah. That all happened"
We were silent for a minute, while I contemplated it. I was this girls son… because these things who liked to meddle with time took them all to the past, then somehow got her pregnant with me, then returned me here as she was like, a baby herself or something, then returned her to the present, and…
I felt dizzy. Wouldn't you?
"Who's my dad then?" I whispered. She looked at me, managing a weak smile.
"Jake is. And… there's one more thing you should know"
"What?"
I was still stuck on the leader of the original Animorphs being my father… he was the same age as me!
"Desiree is your sister, and… as well as…" she indicated to the bundle in her arms "So is she. You're one of triplets James"
Okay, that did it.
I fainted.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
I know! It's slow again! But… LOTSA TWISTY ACTION TO COME!
Hehehe! He fainted!
