Review responses:
Anifan1: Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and remember to review again.
Anonymous- cat: Damn, you guessed! Although I was wondering if anyone would guess; certainly people should guess form Aftran and Leyan's conversation.
Elwing: I read Visser, and I think it is in my top three fave Animorph books; numbers 19 and 29 being the other two. Aftran tells Cassie in number 19 that Yeerks can communicate in their natural body through ultrasonic squeaks,and I would guess that with all their technology, Yeerks could make a transmitter for the pool which translates normal speech into ultrasonic Yeerk speech, and I'm sure they could hear the Visser's thought speak.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I am looking for a beta for all my Animorph fics. I need someone to tell me in advance if I'm being OOC or getting the pace wrong, and I also need them to be able to beta reasonably quickly (not take months!) Even just someone to give me a second opinion before I post would be good. If you're interested, drop me a review (but you should be doing that anyway!)
Enjoy!
I did find Leyan, but spent a while trying to find him when he wasn't with friends.
(Leyan?) I asked, approaching him.
He jerked mid- swim; he must have recognised my voice. (Aftran 942?) He asked hesitantly.
(It's me.. I need to ask you something.)
I smelt his hope. Yes, smelt; a Yeerk's sense of smell is what sight is to a human. We identify one another with it, and can smell emotions, like humans can sense emotion from facial expressions. But scent carries best in a liquid environment; Yeerks feel very 'lost' on dry land, a little like a blind human.
I knew why he was hopeful, too; he thought what I had to ask him was very different to what it was. 'oh brother,' I thought, another stolen human expression.
(Follow me, but.. uh, it's not what you think.)
(How do you know what I think?)
(I don't, I just know that whatever you're thinking, it's not it.)
(Oh. Well what is it then Afts?)
Afts? I bristled. I hated that nickname, the standard shortening of the name Aftran. Even more, I hated Leyan's use of it; it was too friendly. (Aftran.) I said very clearly.
(Fine.)
We reached a quieter area of the pool. (Leyan, have you ever wanted peace?)
(Huh?)
(Peace with other species, not to have to fight or infest.)
leyan paused for a long time. He was calculating something, weighing out odds; I thought he was wondering if it was a trick, if perhaps the Visser had morphed me.
(Sometimes,) he said; rather a non- committal answer.
I explained about the peace movement in brief, cautious detail. Then: (Will you join us?)
(Of course, Aftran,) he said, rather too quickly. I wonder now why I did not spot the warning signs; perhaps because I had not yet realised that the line between love and hate was incredibly fine.
Leyan went away, and I never spoke to him again. But what he did shocked the entire peace movement. He betrayed me. He turned me over to the Visser.
Never will I forget the moment when a transmitted message came through the pool. (Aftran 942 to the infestation pier, you are required to speak with your superiors.)
(Infestation pier?) I gulped. But I could not refuse without giving the game away.
I crawled into a human ear; well, I couldn't give away the peace movement. I figured I wouldn't be in there for very long; which was the only correct assumption I made.
When I made the connections with the brain, and started to apologise, I realised who this girl was. Elsa, Innis' host. Innis was being held in the fist of Visser Three.
Elsa was sending me her courage; I certainly needed it. She was brave, I realised; she had fought every single Yeerk ever to infest her, even if they had tortured her; although Innis never had. The capability of humans to fight even when all hope was lost still amazed me. I was glad to have her permission to be in her.
(This Yeerk is one of your mates, correct?)
"Yes, Visser," I said, even though I hated the word mate.
(And you have founded a mob of rebels!) He yelled suddenly. It was not a question; it was an accusation.
(You will remove yourself from that, and go into a small cage which will be in the water when you enter it. If you do not, this Yeerk will die.)
"The girl's name is Elsa," I replied as I leant down. They all looked at me as if I was mad.
(Might as well show it, they know what I am anyway,) I muttered to Elsa, a vain attempt at humour.
(Not funny, but good luck,) she said before I left her.
(You, too,) I murmured.
I swam into the cage; I had to, I couldn't let Innis die. I felt the cage being pulled through the pool and then being tied to one of the piers. With my echo- location, I determined that the catch was fairly simple; Karen could have opened it in a matter of seconds. No use, though, my captors knew I couldn't do anything without hands. The cage was covered in tiny holes to let in Kandronal fluid, but they were too small for even me to squeeze through- they were less than a human millimetre in diameter.
(Aftran!)
I recognised Innis' scent, and snapped at him. (You can't be noticed around here, go away!)
(No. I'm not leaving you.)
(Illim, please, they can't find you.)
(I know. Is there anything I can do?)
(Get Cassie. She goes to Tidwell's school.)
(Isn't Jake the leader?)
(I trust Cassie. She has proven herself to me. But you need to get her as soon as you can, they may need some time to plan..)
(There's a dance tonight, I'll talk to her then. How do I convince her to trust me?)
I thought for a moment. (Tell her my name and that you're from the peace movement, and if you can, do something to show your sincerity; stop Innis 226 from seeing something, for example,) I told him hurriedly.
(I will. Goodbye. I love you.)
He swam away before I could answer. I wished that he had stayed for me to tell him I loved him; it could be the last time I saw him. (I love you,) I whispered after him anyway, hoping somehow the message would reach him. I hoped Innis would be okay; the Visser was not exactly known for being just.
I knew there were three days for the Animorphs to formulate a plan and get me out. I knew they would, even if not for me; I knew too much.
(Please Cassie, hurry,) I murmured to myself over and over. It was not really for myself that I was worried; I was worried for what I might give away. I would hold out for as long as I could, but I knew Visser Three would not stop torturing me until I gave in, and I knew I would eventually give in. Then I would be killed.
I did not know, then, the effort Visser Three, or at least his loyal assistants, put into finding the best way to get through to me. I was glad Cassie rescued me when she did. I later found what the Visser had planned. He had instructed his assistants to 'find her weakness and find a torture to exploit it'. My weakness was the guilt I felt for infestation; the best way to get through to me would be to have me tortured in an involuntary; I could bear the pain myself for a long time, but the pain of the innocent host would perhaps have made me confess almost instantly. I do not know, and I am glad I do not.
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