Somehow, we managed to drive home and interact with Jake and my parents normally. Or, at least, Terlin did. Even though he used gentle control the entire time, allowing me to intervene if I wanted to, my mind was kind of a whirlwind, so I figured it would be best if I let him handle being me.
At least, for tonight.
I had so much to process. The fact that the Andalite Bandits had been humans was one thing. That they were teenagers was something else. Heck, I could even believe that they were teenagers at my high school. Popular though I was, I hardly knew the names of every kids in every grade. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure I knew all of the names of the people in my grade. There were a few hundred of us.
But Marco? Rachel? Jake?
Jake?
Midget?
Sure, he'd been in a bad mood towards me practically since I'd been infested. No, not quite since then. They'd only been fighting for a little over a year. He must have figured out that The Sharing was a front for the Yeerks, and put two and two together. He'd figured out I had been infested. I only vaguely remembered hearing about Visser Three killing some Andalite prince, and then, a few days afterwards, the attack at the Yeerk Pool. Which Terlin and I had witnessed secondhand, as we'd been at a full members Sharing meeting, led by none other than Visser Three.
Without realizing it, I'd come so close to never seeing my kid brother again. Visser Three had some really ugly morphs, and I'd heard that the one he'd used during the attack was some monster that spewed out fire. How Jake and the others had managed to escape was beyond me.
That had only been the beginning. They had fought him again, and won some pretty heavy duty battles. Kind of to be expected if you were an Andalite warrior, or even if the humans Elfangor had gifted the morphing ability had been members of our military, or police. They knew how to strategize. We weren't the top country in the world for nothing. We had won way more wars than we'd lost, and we had pretty powerful weapons that we could launch on our enemies.
Jake and the others didn't have that. Just the ability to turn into animals. Well, they'd used this gift to do some really serious harm to the Yeerk empire.
Okay. When this was all over, I was never going to get on Jake's nerves again. I didn't want to think of the kind of damage he could do to me, if he got angry enough.
Nah. I was his older brother. I figured I was safe enough.
After all, he hadn't killed me or Terlin yet.
(For some reason, he must want you to remain alive,) Terlin teased me, in an effort to lighten my mood. (Perhaps, it's because you're his older brother?)
(Ha ha,) I replied, smiling in spite of myself.
That made me wonder. Okay, so obviously, Jake had known early on about The Sharing, obviously, and he knew I was a member. He'd also been in a bad mood towards me ever since he became an Animorphs-as they called themselves-but civil enough towards our parents.
He knew that I was a Controller. Given how much he looked up to me, he'd figured I was involuntary.
His anger wasn't at me, but at my Yeerk. And, probably, himself. Because the empire doesn't let hosts go free.
The destruction of the Kandrona about ten months ago and the sudden death of a few hundred people whose Yeerks weren't high ranking enough to merit the trips to the ship pool...yeah, that was obvious.
Terlin had made the cut, along with nearly all of the Yeerks who had infested minors. I was sure it wasn't out of any sense of compassion by Visser Three. More likely, his fellow soldiers with human hosts had warned him that if enough kids started disappearing or dying, seemingly for no reason, people would talk.
Nope. The involuntary adults had been hit the hardest. Especially those without family.
So, Midget had known I'd been infested, and he'd probably fought the war, at least in part, to free me. The fact that he couldn't had to be weighing on him.
Poor kid. Sure, he was fifteen, but he'd always be my kid brother.
I sat on my bed, now, fully in control. Weighing my-our-options.
(We're gonna have to tell him about us, Terlin,) I decided.
He didn't seem surprised by this. Then again, I was his host, and nothing I could do would surprise my Yeerk. He knew me that well.
(Yes,) he agreed, quietly.
(You can feed tomorrow morning, right? We can tell him afterwards. That way, at least, there's less of a time constraint,) I noted. (Much easier than tonight, anyway. Besides, Mom and Dad will be out most of tomorrow. They're seeing their friends, remember? The ones who are in town for the weekend?)
(Yes, the couple your father can't stand, so they compromised and are only spending an afternoon with them,) Terlin grinned. (I remember.)
(Yeah.) I nodded. (Okay. So, you'll feed, and then, we'll tell Midget.)
(All right,) he agreed. Then, he added, (Any ideas of how to do this without scaring him-or worse?)
(Not offhand,) I admitted. (You?)
(Yes,) he answered, simply, but with just the slightest amount of smugness in his voice at being a step ahead of me.
Then, after Terlin gave me a warm mental hug, he filled me in on it.
The next day, after we returned from the Yeerk Pool, we were ready to put everything into motion.
Kind of.
(Tom? Are you sure you're ready?) Terlin asked me, his tone especially gentle.
(Nope. But, if we put it off...) I sighed, mentally. (You know, Terlin, I feel like Jake's going to be so...angry.)
(Not angry, Tom. At least, not at you,) Terlin objected, soothingly.
Probably, trying especially hard to be calming me down, especially as I was trying not to freak out inside my head.
(He's gonna be angry,) I insisted, wincing at the mental image I'd conjured in my mind. (At me, for going voluntary. At you, because, you're a Yeerk.)
It was Terlin's turn to sigh. (You can reassure him that I've never mistreated you, Tom, nor threatened to.)
That was true enough. Terlin certainly had that going for him, which was probably more than a lot of Peace Movement Yeerks could say. At least, with regards to their current host. Hadn't Illim admitted that Mr. Tidwell had been his "slave"? I hadn't pressed for details, and maybe he hadn't tortured my history teacher before he joined up with them. It hadn't felt like my place to ask. They were friends now, partners of a symbiotic relationship.
(Right,) I pointed out, with only a little sourness in my voice, (because I was a good little voluntary host from the start.)
If Jake or the others could see what had happened, they'd realize that Terlin had been decent to me from the start. Gentle. Understanding. Patient. Hadn't he given me control back within five minutes of infesting me? As soon as he'd seen that him taking it from me had been a problem.
Most Yeerks, the non-Peace Movement ones, wouldn't have been so understanding.
Looking back on the early days with Terlin, I found myself understanding just how kind he'd been to me, given that he'd been at least somewhat loyal to the Yeerk empire. He definitely hadn't lacked patience with me. Really, considering I was still fairly resistant to being controlled, he'd done everything he could to make things easier for me. It wasn't like he could have just left my head and not returned. He'd been assigned to me. If I stopped showing up at Sharing meetings...
Well, it wouldn't have gone over well. I'd been underage, and probably wouldn't have had the guts or foresight to run away. No, the Yeerks would have caught me, infested me again. I very much doubted that the next Yeerk would have been like Terlin.
But, it would take a lot to get Jake to see this. The nuances of the situation. What Terlin and I had both gone through during those early days.
In the beginning, at least, Jake would just think that I surrendered to Terlin.
That I cooperated.
That I didn't bother trying to fight him.
For over eighteen months.
In so many ways, joining the Peace Movement seemed to cement our still sometimes uneasy friendship. After all, neither of us had been particularly happy with the Yeerk empire, but even though I could tell Terlin this without worrying about being killed, Terlin couldn't exactly reciprocate. After all, I could always be reassigned to another Yeerk.
Someone with more ambition would report Terlin. Get him killed. Probably tortured, first.
But now? Even though I could still be reassigned, at least we were taking steps against the empire. And, if we officially teamed up with Jake and the other Animorphs, like made a formal alliance or something, we could provide more information than they would have had before.
Plus, the whole Jake (hopefully) not hating me anymore.
At least, I'd realized, he hadn't hated me all this time. Jake had been distant because he'd known I was a Controller. Knowing him, he'd assumed that I was involuntary. Maybe, he'd even hoped that he could free me that time they attacked, over a year and a half ago. At least, Terlin hadn't been feeding then. Jake might have noticed I wasn't in the cages. Might have even seen me in the voluntary area.
Now, I had to wonder what he'd been thinking all this time, after he'd figured out I'd been infested. Did he imagine me in my mind, fighting some unknown and hateful Yeerk for my freedom? Did he worry that I'd given up completely, become a shell of myself? Or, worse, did he blame himself for my still being a Controller?
Because, after all this time, he'd known. I recalled little hints he'd made, occasional sappy things he might say around the dinner table.
How he hoped we'd all stay safe.
At the time, true to my character, I or Terlin would retort with some sarcastic comeback. Nothing cruel, just a wisecrack about how the wine in the dessert was getting to Jake, making him sappy. We'd all laughed, because Jake wasn't typically a sentimental kind of teenager.
Now, I wondered if those remarks had been some kind of message. Like the one we'd gotten right after the clinic's Yeerk Pool had been destroyed.
Don't give up, Tom. Don't ever give up.
He'd thought I was a slave inside my head, and he was trying to give me some sense of hope.
Had I known before...
Eighteen months wasn't ten years. Sure, it was eighteen lost months, but it could have been so much worse. Jake had hated me-no, Terlin-during that time, and we could both see why. It wasn't exactly a misunderstanding, but I believed that it could be fixed. If we just made the first move, let him know that I was okay.
That we were on his side.
(Okay.) I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them. (Let's do this.)
I felt Terlin nod, wordlessly. I got up from my place on my bed, headed out of my room, and began walking downstairs.
We'd worked on the plan for the better part of a week. I would grab a glass of water, which was innocent enough, and besides, it doubled as a potential drink as well as a place for Terlin to reside once he left my head. Yeerks dry up fairly quickly if they're not in a host body. He wouldn't die if he was only outside of my head for a minute or so, but I had a feeling that it would be longer than that.
We'd both agreed that Jake had to see Terlin leave my head. I couldn't just show up with him in a glass of water. Best case scenario, Jake would be surprised. Worst case scenario? Jake might think that my Yeerk was still in my head, and that Yeerk was meant for him. Or, that it wasn't even a Yeerk.
He might start morphing, try to attack me.
No, this was much safer. I just hoped that I would be able to keep Terlin safe long enough to explain. Midget would probably want to kill him as soon as he was out of my ear.
I felt Terlin give me a mental hug, a strong one. I felt myself begin to relax, my mouth form a small smile.
(Thanks, Terlin,) I murmured.
He'd been doing that more, lately. Or, maybe, I'd been more nervous lately, and needing them more. Or both.
(You're welcome,) he answered, giving me a mental smile. (Try to relax. Remember the script.)
(That's the problem,) I joked, as we entered the kitchen. (I'm not an actor.)
This, at least, got a laugh from him.
Jake was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. A quick look at it told me it was for school, because high school student in their right mind reads "Lord of the Flies" for fun.
"Hey, Midget," I greeted, walking past him.
He looked up from the book. "Hey, Tom."
I opened one of the higher cabinets and retrieved a large glass. "That can't be any good, if it's for school?" I joked.
He forced a laugh. "Yeah, it's pretty depressing. At least, it's not Shakespeare."
I nodded, turning on the sink to add water. Not all the way to the top, just halfway. "Yeah, you have a point, there. What you're reading was actually written in English."
"Yeah." Now, his voice was devoid of any tone. Annoyed, even.
Glass of water in hand, I turned away from the sink and just studied Jake, who'd gone back to reading.
Or, pretending to read.
"Midget?" I asked, after a pause.
He looked up from the book, his face momentarily annoyed, then suddenly blank. No, practiced blank. "Yeah, Tom?"
"Can we talk?"
I kept my voice casual, like I was asking him to empty the dishwasher, or lower the volume on the TV. Just a small favor to ask from your older brother.
He sort of frowned. "Okay?"
I realized that he was waiting for me to sit down. Or, start talking about whatever it was.
"In private," I specified. "C'mon on. Let's head to my room."
Even though I knew that Jake would feel more comfortable in the kitchen, with more escape routes available to him, I couldn't take that chance. Mostly because of our parents. Sure, they weren't home, yet, but they might be before we finished talking, and I didn't want them to see Terlin, or hear us talking about Yeerks or Animorphs.
Jake wouldn't realize it now, but my room was a lot safer.
Before Jake could object, I headed out of the kitchen, pausing as I reached the stairs. In case he wasn't following me.
He was. But, slowly.
I wondered if he was scared. Probably. Midget might think it was something innocent, but he also could be afraid that I was going to...take him out with a Dracon beam, maybe? Then, drag him to the Yeerk Pool?
I had no idea what was going through his mind, but at the very least, he had to be confused.
I felt Terlin's concern in my mind, his wordless reassurance. That helped.
"Can't you tell me what this is about?" Jake grumbled, as he caught up with me.
I put a hand on his shoulder, but let go as I saw him flinch. "Hey." I kept my voice gentle, but not overly so. "Just follow me, okay?"
Poor kid.
(It will be over in a few minutes,) Terlin reassured me.
(He might be thinking the same thing,) I pointed out, darkly.
Even though I arrived outside my room first, I waited a second or so for Jake. He avoided looking inside, as though it was a hidden entrance to the Yeerk Pool.
"Come on in." I gently pushed him inside, and he sighed, but didn't try to make a run for it.
"Tom," he complained. "I was doing homework."
I raised my eyebrows as I closed the door. "Since when do you complain about me interrupting you when you're doing homework, Midget? On a Saturday, no less?"
He sort of laughed. "Yeah, you got me there."
Gently, I pointed to my desk chair. "Sit down, if you want." I nodded towards my bed. "Or there?"
Jake stubbornly remained standing. He crossed his arms over his chest, then let go. "What's going on?"
I placed the glass of water on my desk, then picked it up again. I took a small sip, just to have something to do. It was half full, anyway, and a mouthful or so less for Terlin to hang out in wouldn't make any difference.
(Ready?) I asked.
(Yes. Good luck, Tom,) he answered, and I could feel him start to disconnect from my brain.
If a Yeerk is fully connected to your brain, like in full control, it takes about twenty to thirty seconds for them to disengage and then leave. If a Yeerk isn't in control, the process only takes about ten seconds.
Ten seconds felt a lot more like ten hours right then.
I finally felt Terlin leave my ear, and carefully placed him in the glass of water.
Then, I looked up at Jake.
He had gone totally pale, like he was in shock. Ignoring the script, acting on impulse, I placed the glass of water on my desk. Then, I crossed over to him. Put an arm on his shoulder.
"Hey, Jake. Midget." I kept my tone gentle, hoping that I sounded reassuring. "It's okay."
I'd have loved to give him a bear hug, and I hoped that I'd be doing plenty of that soon enough. Right now, though, I didn't want to crowd him.
Or, worse, make him think I was going to attack.
It was only a second before I felt his arms wrap around me. Another second, and he was squeezing me like he was afraid I'd suddenly disappear if he let go.
With that, I wrapped my arms around him, then, pulled him even closer to me.
He just closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the warmth of the hug. The reassuring pressure of his arms around me, and mine around him.
At least, that's how I felt. I mean, how long had it been since we'd last even hugged each other?
We just remained like that for awhile, hugging, but also holding onto each other. Then, I felt Jake's breathing sort of speed up, followed by something wet on my neck, and realized that Jake was now shaking and crying, silently.
Carefully, almost reluctantly, I separated my arms from him, but moved an arm around his shoulder, and slowly steered Jake over to my bed.
Jake was still crying, still shaking, as he sat down, and I joined him there. He leaned against me, not speaking.
"Hey. It's okay, Midget. It's okay," I soothed, keeping my voice low and gentle, as I ran my hand along his back, moving in small circles.
He didn't speak, at first. The tears just continued to fall, but at least, the shaking sort of stopped.
"T-Tom? You're...free?" he finally managed to ask, now looking up at me.
This minute wasn't the time to tell him that I'd always been free. Kind of. At least, not a slave inside my mind most of the time, the way he must have thought.
"Terlin-my Yeerk-he just joined the Peace Movement," I explained, a little awkwardly.
Like this was the password to gaining Jake's trust.
Well, it was a start, based on his reaction of relief. Then, confusion, as he registered what I'd said.
"Just?" Jake asked, confused.
I wrapped my other arm around him in a sort of hug, but not completely. Whatever it was, it felt like the right thing, and I could feel Jake relax against me. Good.
"I was infested over a year and a half ago," I began, keeping my voice gentle, reassuring. "From the start, Terlin was decent, Jake. He never hurt me, and he gave me control most of the time. Of course, we didn't know that you and your friends were the so-called Andalite Bandits."
"Wait. So...you were voluntary?" Jake asked.
I sighed, knowing where this was headed. "At first, I wasn't exactly thrilled that he was there. Sharing your brain and body with an alien wasn't how I wanted to spend my teenage years, you know?" When Jake managed a laugh, I continued, "But, from the very beginning, Terlin was really decent, understanding, and gave me control pretty much from the start. Like, less than five minutes after he infested me. He got that it wouldn't work if he became the typical alien slug overlord, if that makes sense?"
Another nod from Jake. "He didn't hurt you?"
I shook my head. Inwardly, I'd been expecting this kind of question to come up, but when it did... "Nope. He never threatened to, either. I think we both realized that things would be better if he was actually a good person...well, you know." I kind of laughed, and Jake managed a smile. "And, Jake, I'm not some genius, but I figured out that if I wanted to protect you guys from being infested, fighting him wasn't the best way to do that. Especially you, Midget. Terlin knew how I felt, and...well, basically, he was willing to go against the empire as long as he wasn't caught. You three staying free was sort of vital to my...not fighting him, I guess. So, we made it work. I got control and was able to protect you. He got a host who didn't...resist. Of course," I added, jokingly, "neither of us realized that you guys were the Andalite Bandits kicking Visser Three's butt."
If I was hoping for a laugh by my last comment, it didn't come.
Still.
Jake was nodding his head, registering what I'd just revealed to him. He wasn't yelling at me, or calling me a traitor. While he avoided looking in Terlin's direction, at least, he hadn't tried to kill him. I imagined that it was sort of like he just realized his entire world had been turned upside down, and he was trying to process the new reality.
Okay, not sort of.
"Okay," he finally managed. "Then, what-I mean...what made him decide to join...?"
He trailed off.
I kept one arm around his shoulder, and he closed his eyes, just for a minute.
I nodded. "Right. Well, as you know, Cassie saved Aftran, and Tidwell and Illim reached out to us. We've never even heard of the Peace Movement, but once we did..." I paused. "I mean, it took a little convincing for Terlin. It's one thing to keep your host's family uninfested and give your host control. Another to sort of flaunt this and risk getting killed."
"He said no, then? At first?" Jake pressed, raising his eyebrows.
I shook my head. "He didn't say no. He needed to think about it, that's all. It was a big decision, and he needed a couple of days to make it. Me, I was all for it. And that was before I knew about you guys." I grinned, and Jake managed a smile. "Once Terlin agreed, Illim went all in and told him about you and Cassie and the others. Must have been driving them both crazy not to tell us right away."
Jake smiled again, a little weakly. "If he had, before, and you'd said no...or changed your mind afterwards..."
"Terlin wouldn't have betrayed you guys, Midget. Even if he hadn't joined, we'd have found a way to clue you in. That we weren't your enemy," I promised.
Granted, this would have presented its own complications. We'd have worked harder to protect them, and probably help them if we could. However that would have worked. I knew that Terlin cared about Jake. My parents, too. After all, he cared about me, and he knew how much I loved them. When it came down to it, we might as well be part of a group trying to do the same thing.
Jake nodded, but the tears came back. "All this time...I thought you were a slave. I thought he was hurting you, torturing you..."
I got off the bed to wrap him into another bear hug. Then, after a few minutes, I placed my hands on his shoulders, and looked my kid brother right in the eyes. "I promise you, Jake, he's never hurt me. Never even threatened to, okay? We're friends. He's cool."
Jake just nodded, but frowned, as though suddenly realizing something. "I believe you, Tom, but the others are going to have some trouble. We-we can't be completely sure, you know?"
I nodded, taking a seat next to him on the bed, again. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "How can you be, then? I mean, what can we do to prove that we're on your side?"
Jake sort of shrugged. Wiped away some tears from his face. "I'm not sure."
"We could have a meeting," I suggested, slowly. "I can bring Terlin. He can either be in my head, or stay in there." I nodded towards the glass. "Of course, you'll probably want to talk to him at some point. Get to know him, and all that."
Jake nodded. "Yeah. We should meet as a group. Immediately. You're not busy for the rest of today?"
I shook my head. "No, my schedule's wide open. Okay, so...how about you call everyone, and I put Terlin back in my head in the meantime? So that he knows what's going on, and all that? Plus, he probably wants to talk to you before the meeting."
Jake frowned a little. "When he talks...you can't, right?"
"The short answer is not always." I had to laugh, a little. "Most of the time, I'm in control, not him. Sometimes, like during Sharing meetings, he needs to be in control. And then, we kind of share control. Terlin says it's called loose control, or gentle control. Basically, he's the one operating my body, but he's not preventing me from doing anything. You know those cars that they use at driver's ed? Where the teacher has the extra break on their side?"
"Yeah. To prevent accidents," Jake recalled, and I imagined that he was remembering his driver's ed classes.
"Exactly. So, imagine that Terlin's technically in the driver's seat, but when he's using gentle control, I have the break. And my own steering wheel, and the gas pump. He's driving, sure, but I have the override power. Without fighting him for control, or anything like that," I added. "When we meet, it will probably be like that. I mean, when I'm not speaking for myself. Okay?"
"Okay." Jake nodded his head, then studied me. "I don't...I hate to think of you as being helpless, Tom."
I smiled, squeezing his shoulder. "I'm not big on that either, Midget. And, I won't lie, there are times when I am, because it has to be that way. But, only when it's impossible, for our safety, for me to be in control. I mean, I'm not a great actor, and I can't pretend to be an impartial Yeerk at the Yeerk Pool, or during a Sharing meeting for full members. Terlin's not impartial or anything, but he can act it way better than I can."
It still kind of stunk, even after the better part of two years, but it was part of the job.
Anyway, I'd long since known that Terlin would never do anything to hurt me or betray my family.
Which helped.
A lot.
Jake stood up. "Okay," he repeated. "I'll make the call, and we'll probably head over to Cassie's."
"Why Cassie's?" I asked, as I stood.
"Her barn's where we always meet. It's a lot more secure than any of our homes," he explained. "Her parents almost never go in during the day. She takes care of most of the animals, when we're not at school or on missions. You know, saving the world and all?"
I grinned. "You're doing a pretty awesome job at that, Midget."
Jake returned my grin, then gave me another long hug, which I returned.
"You know, we're going to be doing a lot of this," I promised. "We have a lot of missed time to make up for."
After about, oh, five minutes or so, we finally let go.
"I should probably put Terlin back in my head. He's going to want to see what he missed, and I figure the others will want to see him leave my head. Plus, carrying him in a glass of water in the car could be kind of uncomfortable. Bumps in the road and all."
I realized I was babbling.
"Okay." Jake's tone was casual, or trying to be.
He watched as I left the bed, then went through the whole process of retrieving Terlin. I wasn't sure if Jake wanted to see my Yeerk disappear inside my head, or would be too freaked out about it.
Not wanting to assume anything, I asked.
I held the glass of water in my hand, turning towards him. "Midget? You want to see this, or should I turn away?"
Jake sort of frowned. "I-I guess I'll watch."
I nodded, picked up Terlin, and put him to my ear. I kept my expression blank as the sting of pain began, then disappeared, but Jake flinched and his hands became fists, but he let go after a second.
"It's okay, Jake," I promised, gently, as I felt Terlin begin to crawl inside.
Jake nodded, reaching for my hand. I took it, squeezed it.
A moment later, I felt Terlin reconnect with my brain.
(It went fairly well,) I told my Yeerk, before he could ask me. (We're going to have a meeting, probably, so you can get the details while Jake makes the call.)
I could feel Terlin's relief. (I'm glad, Tom.)
I focused on Jake. "He's connected, but I'm still in control."
Jake smiled. "Great. He knows everything? About what we spoke about?"
"Not yet, but it doesn't take him long to find out," I promised. "Probably, by the time you're off the phone with Cassie, Terlin will be all caught up."
He nodded. "You don't mind? Him knowing everything?"
I had to laugh. "It definitely got on my nerves in the beginning, but I'm used to it. Terlin's never used my memories to hurt me, which helps."
Jake considered this. "Yeah." Then, "I have a ton of questions for you, Tom. About how this all works...but I think we need to have this meeting first."
"Sure," I agreed. "I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have, Midget. It's definitely a rabbit hole, you know? Like, once you get one answer, you'll probably have ten new questions."
Jake laughed. "At least."
"Anyway, I'll probably have at least as many for you about morphing and what you've been up to over the past couple of years, fighting an alien army." I ruffled his hair. "We might need to take turns with who asks what."
"I'd rather talk about morphing, first," Jake admitted. "The war...that's..."
Jake trailed off.
I pulled him into a hug. "Sure. Whatever you're ready to talk about. I won't push."
(Talking about what he's been through could be very therapeutic,) Terlin remarked.
(As long as it's on his terms,) I allowed.
(Of course,) Terlin agreed.
"Thanks, Tom," Jake murmured, still hugging me.
"I promise, Jake," I reassured him. "We're on your side. And we're going to destroy the empire, from the outside and the inside."
It was bravado, grandiose. Personally, I thought that Jake and his friends would do a lot more to destroy the empire than a couple hundred Yeerks.
Then again...with us working together...
I imagined we could do some real damage.
Kick major Yeerk empire butt.
A/N: One drawback to assigning Tom to Terlin first instead of Temrash was that while Temrash would still be the Yeerk who infested Jake in "The Capture", it wouldn't have quite the same level of horror. Yes, Terlin could have been his second Yeerk, but I'd already decided he would start off voluntary, and there was no realistic way of this under Temrash given how he became infested. Without giving too much away if I decide to expand upon it in a future chapter, I will say here that Temrash witnessed Tom's infestation firsthand and his own host was a male teenager, like Tom. Jake's experience under Temrash in this universe wasn't as bad as it could have been, but there's still a clear element of implied and explicit horror. Jake could imagine Tom's experience after three days of Temrash, and the memories of his former host. For this reason, he would be motivated to give his older brother hope, and still left a message after he was freed. After all, it's not like there's much of a difference between Yeerks, in Jake's mind, at this point of the story.