Well, heres another chappie after like... forever!
Sorry dudes/dudettes!
Now, hopefully I can write this without the computer going PTTTHT! on me...
FINGERS CROSSED!
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My favourite part of living.
The fight. The revenge on the Yeerk population.
Yes, Yeerks. You know, those slimy slugs that slip into your ear and control your brain?
You know the ones I'm talking about.
I roared, slamming my bulk into the many Hork-Bajir coming at us. Rachel was beside me, both of us clearing some room for the others, who were dragging along an unconscious Ithiell. He was on Amanda's horse back, with the others taking up the rear and sides.
Ithiell had crashed his fighter, and had been taken hostage before we could stop them. Rtaia was the one to inform us of this. She'd barely escaped alive.
Now we were in the Yeerk Pool, fighting to get out with every kind of controller coming at us.
And for some reason, I wasn't afraid. Not like I should be, anyway. Sure, there was fear there, but anger pushed through it all.
I wanted to play with the Yeerks. I wanted them to bleed.
(AHAHAA!) I slashed and bit and laughed, roaring in triumph. Polar bears were good for smash and crash. It was one of my favourite creatures besides the black panther.
(You're INSANE! EVEN MORE SO THAN RACHEL!) Marco screamed, and I just laughed, biting down on a Taxxon leg, throwing it high into the sky. It splattered somewhere ahead of us, causing the other Taxxons to get out of our faces for now.
I was so good.
(HEY! I AM NOT!) Rachel yelled.
(Shut up! All of you! We're trying to get out of the Yeerk pool, remember!) Jake snapped, and we all did just that.
Oh yeah. Getting out.
Jade leapt ahead of me, slashing apart a few human controllers in the process, then leaping back over me, probably to help Ax and Rtaia at the back of the group.
(You know, I didn't need any help!) I snarled, and she just grunted at me in her head, but other than that she was silent. Made me just want to kick her ass around a bit too…
But now wasn't the time. Now, as Jake said, it was time to get out of here.
I barged straight into the crowd, being burnt and cut and not caring because I was causing exactly the same amount of damage to them. No, wait, not the same… EVEN MORE!
(DIE SLIME!) I yelled, tossing another Taxxon back behind us, hearing them leave Ax and Rtaia alone for now.
(Robert, I don't think you realise that-) Cassie was cut off by Tobias screaming.
(Tobias no!) Rachel yelled, going after him as he fell.
(RACHEL WAIT!) Jake yelled, but it was no use. Now we were all heading back, deeper into the Yeerk Pool complex.
I didn't mind. More fun for me.
Since we needed to stay together, everyone went back, even Amanda with an unconscious Ithiell. She couldn't do much as a horse… stupid horses… why did she have to pick such a weak creature?
(JADE LOOK OUT!) Cassie screamed, and seconds later Jade's tail was missing. Burnt clean off.
(Thanks Cassie, if you hadn't… that might have actually been my head) she said breathlessly. She wasn't giving up now, was she?
I continued to plough through the crowd after Rachel, with Jake taking up a place beside me, slashing and biting… he looked worse for wear, but other than that okay.
(KICK ASS!) I yelled, clawing apart another Hork-Bajir, then throwing a human into the Yeerk pool, with him screaming. Oops, might have slashed him something good too…
Ah well! They'll get more!
MORE FOR ME TO DESTROY!
AAAHAHAHAHA!
(RACHEL! WHERE ARE YOU!)
(HERE! GODDAMN JAKE… YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO FOLLOW ME!) I saw Rachel up ahead, clinging tight to an unconscious Tobias.
(We're all getting out of here! Together!)
(But-)
(Rachel we wont leave you!)
(HE IS RIGHT!) I heard someone else say, I think Ax, but I wasn't listening.
Because right then I was more focused on the hole that used to be my left arm.
I felt intense pain… and then unimaginable anger.
HOW DARE THEY! THIS WAS MY-
I went into total overload then.
I think the only thing that stopped me was the fact that I lost one of my back legs, and Amanda screaming (STOP IT ROBERT! STOP FIGHTING!)
I blinked, then realised what had happened.
We were surrounded.
And… none other than the Visser himself was standing in front of us, smiling cockily.
(Well, well, it seems I have at last caught all of the Andalite bandits)
(I don't think so, Visser) Jake muttered, playing the part of an 'Andalite Bandit'.
(Oh-) I saw Rtaia suddenly collapse, and Ax and Cassie were there in seconds flat. She wouldn't live much longer if we didn't get out of here soon…
And then, like that, all my anger dissipated. We needed to get out of here, now.
I heard the Visser laughing (It seems one of your comrades has fallen, Andalite Bandit! And another is soon to fall!) I turned to see Marco wavering, a neat, and deep, hole in his chest, bleeding profusely. Jade was the only thing keeping him up. She was leaning against him, even though it seemed she was in pretty bad shape herself.
(Come on Marco, don't give up on me! Don't… okay?)
What was I thinking? This wasn't a playground, this was hell!
(You have not won yet Visser!) Jake snarled, even though he looked about ready to keel over himself.
We had to get out! We had… had to…
Suddenly the wind picked up in the large cavern, confusing the heck out of all of us. I looked… and saw…
The black hole from before!
But… but it was… wasn't it just a dream?
Either way, I knew it was our way out of here.
(Jake, we have to get in that thing!)
(What? Why!)
(Just trust me! Get everyone in!)
(I do not think it-)
(AX SHUT THE HELL UP AND JUST GET RTAIA THROUGH!)
Strangely enough, he started to slowly move with her, with Rachel helping all she could, still clinging to Tobias.
I watched as they went through, and the Vissers eyes widened.
All four of them.
(What… what is… how are you doing this!) He snapped, glaring at me, then Jake.
(Rachel?)
Nothing.
(She'll be okay! Just get through!)
(Robert, how the hell do you know!) Amanda shrieked, (How do you know they're not-)
(Look, just trust me! And anything is better than being here, facing off against Visser Three!)
(He's got a point there) Marco muttered, and Jade sighed.
(You must really be out of it. Do you know you just agreed with Robert, of all people?)
(Jade, just get through with him) Jake muttered, and I shared a look with him. It was going to be an unspoken agreement. He and I would be the last ones, and hold of whoever tried to stop them and us.
(All right then) she whispered, and I saw her and Cassie take Marco in, then Amanda followed them, sending me one last look before going in. She was terrified.
I wasn't. I knew they'd be okay, in some weird way…
(Jake, go)
(Robert-)
(JAKE GO! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!)
He growled, but got behind me as I started backing up into it. It was then that the Yeerks got smart.
(AFTER THEM!) Visser Three roared, and we both took a running leap as best we could into the blackness.
I just hope they can't follow…was my last thought before I passed out.
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When I woke up, I felt solid ground beneath me. My eyes snapped open to see the pathway I'd seen before… like, sideways.
I got up, surprised to find that I was fully human, looking down at both my hands and flexing them, then looking around.
"Guys?" I called, and waited. I called again, a little louder, and heard a groan.
"Robert?"
I raced towards the sound of the voice, seeing Amanda was just getting up, holding her head and looking down at Ithiell.
Who looked surprisingly a lot better than he did back in the Yeerk pool.
Maybe it was just the day… and this field of what looked like sugarcane or whatever… so many paths cut in between them though… all dirt paths…
I shook my head, then went and helped Amanda up, looking down at Ithiell.
"Does he…?"
"Yeah. Wonder what happened?"
"Yeah. We'll, we'd better wake him up.
"I will. You just find the others"
"You sure"
"Yeah, go on"
Reluctantly I left her, drawing arrows in the dirt so I knew how to get back to her.
The first three I found next were Cassie, Jade and Marco.
Cassie and Jade were awake, but Marco, human as well, was sprawled on his back, looking like he was sleeping. Jade grinned, sat on his stomach, then slammed her hands down on his chest, screaming "MARCO WAKE UP!"
"AAHHH!" well, that did it.
I quickly showed them the path back to Amanda and Ithiell, then found Jake, Rtaia and Ax. Not long after that, Rachel and Tobias.
Tobias was human, for some strange reason. Rtaia, Ax and Ithiell were all themselves, but… why was Tobias human?
"Okay, where now Robert?" Jake asked when we'd all met up again.
I blinked "Huh?"
"Well, where now? You got us into this, sooo…"
I shrugged "I have no idea. All I knew for sure was that the black hole thing would take us out of that pool"
(That was very risky) Ax started (We could have actually gone into a black hole, never to come out again. Or… perhaps this truly is a black hole that we are in, and-)
"Okay, stop right there Ax" Ithiell said, stepping forward, seeming to have no trouble. It seemed the many bruises he'd had were… well, gone. Vanished.
It really didn't make sense Then again neither did jumping into a black hole and finding yourself in the middle of a field in what seemed to be spring.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened back in that pool, but I know that this is not a black hole. For one thing, they-" He went on to scientifically explain a black hole to Ax, and then the alien trio started ranting on and on…
I really wasn't listening. I didn't care.
Mainly because at that moment I heard something. Like… someone humming. It was a sweet tune, on I remembered from when I was little…
I froze. No? Could… could it be?
Could it be her?
I forced my shaky legs to move, listening hard over the sound of everyone else bickering to find out where it was coming from.
It was close. Real close.
And sure enough… I turned a corner…
And there she was.
Curly black hair tied back with what looked like a cloth, resting on her shoulder blades, green eyes alight as she went about her task of… whatever it was. A sweet smile…
She was dressed in material from like, centuries ago. Farmers clothes. A long brown skirt, or dress or whatever, and a white apron hanging off her slender waist, her sleeves rolled up and away from her soft, white-skinned arms… tanning slightly it seemed… long, slender fingers picking away, doing their task elegantly.
But what got me was that this is not how I remembered her. She looked like she was the age she should be, now, not a pre-teen or anything.
But I would know her anywhere. My sister… I could never forget her, and… and…
Here she was, standing in this field of whatever, picking away, humming to herself and smiling.
"A-Anna?" my voice came out raw and croaky.
She looked up… and I swear she looked like she was about to have a heart attack.
"Robert? What… what are you doing here?" She whispered, dropping whatever it was she had, standing up and coming over to me. She stopped a few feet away, just staring at me.
"I… I can ask you the same thing" I whispered, my eyes probably as wide as dinner plates, my whole body frozen. This… this couldn't be… she couldn't be alive, could-
"Robert! Where-" I guessed Amanda saw her too. She stopped talking.
I was more interested in the girl in front of me. The girl I thought had died almost six years ago…
Shakily, I reached out a hand, touching her cheek gently. I almost fainted when I felt real, warm flesh beneath my fingers.
"How?" I whispered, touching her face again, then her hair, both of my hands finally resting on her shoulders. Her real, warm shoulders beneath the thin fabric. She looked up at me, smiling sadly, then suddenly… her face blurred…
I realised what was happening. I was crying. But… through blurred eyes I saw she was close to tears as well.
"I think… I guess we have a lot to talk about, little brother"
I nodded, and she took my hand, leading me down the path "And don't forget to bring your friends! I love meeting new people!"
She said it in a sob, and I finally got the courage to turn around, waving all of my… friends… forward. They came too…
As I said before, I was more focused on the walking ghost in front of me, leading me… holding my hand…
What was going on here?
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Aaaaaaand THERE YA HAVE IT! ANOTHER MYSTERY YET TO BE SOLVED! YAY!
PLEASE R&R! THANKYOU FOR READING! YAAY!