Jacob Nyles:

"Arrest me, officer," I smirked, holding out my wrists mockingly.

The cop raised an eyebrow, "Do you realize how tempting that is?" the man asked. It was disconcerting hearing Esplin's words come from a stranger's mouth.

And the wrong gender.

(Yes, I know she doesn't actually have a gender, like an earthworm, but she thought like a she, and not a he).

"Open up, I can feel the AC from the window," I said jealously.

Esplin rolled her eyes, and unlocked the doors. I climbed in the back, and closed the door.

I promptly heard locks engaging.

"Uh… Esplin… I think the doors locked accidentally?" I asked tentatively.

She glanced at the rearview mirror and smirked.

"Ah… this is one of your repressed bitchiness moments, isn't it?" I sighed. Secretly, I was more than slightly nervous. I hate cages.

"I could place you in lock up for assaulting a police officer," Esplin said smugly.

"That'll take too long, getting through booking…" I trailed off, as she shook her head mockingly.

"Oh. I see…"

Teasing. Gotcha. I wasn't feeling her undercurrents of emotion… which made her dry, extremely sarcastic version of humor hard to differentiate from her dry, extremely sarcastic version of seriousness.

"Okay… but, what's the plan?" I asked. Esplin was probably still flipping through the cop's memories, trying to organize his knowledge of his department's inner workings…

She glanced in the rearview mirror again, her eyes (okay, his eyes) were cool and calculating.

((()))

"When was this washed?" I whined, trying not to wrinkle my nose.

"Last Tuesday. It hasn't been worn," Esplin said, as she helped adjust the spare uniform.

"It smells like dirty metal and dead rubber," I complained. (Which was fitting, since it had been folded neatly in a plastic bag and placed over the spare tire).

"Stop whining," Esplin growled, jerking a little harder than necessary on the gunbelt (which had no gun or holster on it), and jammed a radio into the belt clip, threading the mike through the strap over my shoulder, and clipping it in place.

"How many cops do you see without guns?" I muttered.

"Thomas doesn't have a private weapon, only his issued sidearm," Esplin repeated with rapidly diminishing patience, as she adjusted the slightly too small shoes.

"But—"

"Enough. You're a rookie. You haven't been issued a sidearm," Esplin said, slamming the trunk of the patrol car back down.

"Or a badge, nametag, pepperspray—" I kept listing off things I didn't have, as I climbed into the passenger seat, and Esplin slid behind the wheel, "—handcuffs, baton, flashlight, vest—"

"Jacob. I will shoot you," Esplin snapped, throwing the vehicle into Drive, and pushing the pedal to the floor.

"Non-fatally, right?" I asked.

The man glared at me.

"I'm too cute to kill, right?" I pressed. I was nervous. I'd never impersonated a police officer before… or walked right into a police precinct in disguise.

And there was a somewhat strict deadline, and—

Esplin took a corner rather hard, and I forgot my train of thought, waving at the white-faced passengers in the car we'd nearly forced off the street… from twelve inches away. The eleven-year old boy with the Poke'mon hat waved back.

Esplin 1894:

Jacob calmed down… eventually. I took a quick shortcut from Thomas's memories. Also, fortunately, Thomas belonged to the right precinct. It would have been somewhat difficult to sneak into the wrong precinct.

"Relax. We survived Antios III. We can do this," I said.

"Yeah… but you weren't a ginger," Jacob sighed morosely, chin on his fist.

"You have a problem with red heads?" I asked, parking in our spot.

"No… but I need something to complain about," Jacob shrugged, as he climbed out of the patrol car.

"Uh… which way?" he asked, faltering.

"Just stick close… rook," I said, twisting the word how Thomas did.

Please stop doing that, Thomas begged. Well, he wasn't actually talking to me, just wishing I wouldn't do it. At the moment the poor human was rocking in a corner, with his eyes closed, hoping to wake up soon.

[Soon] I promised.

As we walked up the steps towards the double doors ahead I could see Jacob stiffening beside me. The nervous energy was slowly fading, replaced by the cold clarity of danger. Jacob couldn't run away from this… so he had to face it. Just like we'd faced everything else that could not be outrun.

Good. He'd be centered soon.

"You good, rook?" I asked.

"Five by five," he grinned tightly.

I cringed, "Don't do that, please,"

"Ten four," he chuckled.

"Jacob," I hissed, "You're just regurgitating television phrases."

"Copy that, red leader."

I ignored him, and entered the police station.

"Good afternoon, Peggy," I said, flashing a smirk at the receptionist. We always flirted with her. She had seven children, and the flirtations were beginning to become something close to solid. The harried looking woman barely looked up, swamped by the incoming calls between the different departments.

She flicked a hand in greeting at us, otherwise ignoring us.

Jacob was watching carefully though, and I noticed that his body-language was changing again. He was mimicking the other officers he saw… by the end of the first elevator and six hallways, he was walking almost like a young rookie… and as close to invisible as anything else that actually belonged in the station.

"Tom? I thought you were on patrol?" Franklin asked, looking up from his paper-back, heels propped comfortably on the second chair in the control booth.

"I wish. They've got me training another rook," I sighed.

Franklin glanced at Jacob, his gaze lingering a little on the facial scars. He grunted, unimpressed, "Disrespect a cougar?" he asked.

"I wouldn't call her that to her face… but… yup," Jacob drawled.

Franklin laughed.

"So, what're you doing in the hole?" Franklin asked, gesturing at the booth.

"Practice interrogation," I shrugged.

"Soft-core, huh?" the older police officer shook his head, returning to his book. He was two years from retirement.

"I'll buzz you in."

So far… so good.

It would all fall apart if anyone bothered to check our story… but we'd given no reason to rouse suspicion. Thomas was trusted. The presented reasons were sound.

Helaine-Mtalenon-Ashul:

[That expression looks ridiculous] I sniffed, as we were escorted to a "rest room" (consequently, one did not rest in such places). Torfan was experimenting with facial expressions, specifically, trying to mix smug satisfaction, and vindication.

Nine minutes.

The aristh was so focused on the fact that Jacob had taken us from the cage, that he was neglecting to analyze the implications of how the human had done it.

By enslaving one of his own kind. But Jacob knew. He could not meet my eyes. He knew what he had done.

He wasn't just an aberrant controller now. He was a mobile Yeerk pool.

"Empty," Jacob said, coming back out of the small room, gesturing for Torfan and I to enter. I continued to ignore the Yeerk filth holding the door for me. Seven minutes.

It was a race to remove the artificial clothing, and regain our true forms.

Two minutes.

Jacob Nyles:

"Breathe. Just breathe. It's over," I said, supporting the trembling man.

"It's gone?" the broken man whispered.

"Yes. She's gone," I promised. He wouldn't open his eyes. I broke this man, to save my friends.

I was sorry.

But I didn't regret it.

"Are you sure?" the cop whimpered, as if afraid the monster was creeping around on the floor, doubling back, to get him again.

"Yes. She's in my head now. You're safe," I promised.

At that, my victim opened his eyes, slightly.

"Are… you an alien too?" he asked, suspiciously.

"I was human. Now… I'm not so sure," I shrugged.

The cop frowned, confused…

"Who are you?"

I answered reflexively.

"My name is Jacob Nyles. And I am free."

Then the sedatives finally kicked in. I wasn't going to stun this man. He'd been through enough.

[And the yeerks might detect the weapon discharge] Esplin observed.

We left him in his apartment.

[Hopefully, he'll think this was a nightmare] Esplin offered, uncomfortable. She disliked empathy for others (besides us). It was uncomfortable for her.

[Rest easy, Esplin, your secret is safe with me] I quipped, trying to ignore my own nausea.

[Secret?] Esplin scoffed.

[That you do have a heart. Sort of] I shrugged.

[Clearly I must have eaten yours] Esplin hissed.

Esplin 1894:

The van had mounted the curb slightly, when the driver was rendered unconscious by swift and indisputable means. I was pleased.

[See? Better than a watch dog] I said smugly.

[It still could have been towed] Jacob grumbled stubbornly. Apparently, Jett had smacked a couple of would-be car thieves on the back of the head… without being seen. Or so she claimed.

Jacob was still thinking about Thomas though. It was starting to irritate me. Yes, what I… what we, had done to the human was regrettable, but not doing it would have weakened our advantages against the Empire. Knowledge was power. So long as the Empire didn't know exactly what had landed on earth to fight them… we held the advantage. Strength and superior numbers were useless against an enemy that could not be found, or struck.

So it was necessary. Moping about it wouldn't lessen Thomas's trauma, or increase our advantage. It was pointless.

[Maybe… but it keeps us human] Jacob snapped, still on edge.

[Yes, always looking back, so you stumble over new mistakes] I sneered.

[Those who don't—] Jacob started, taking on that unconscious mental Eastern piety tone whenever he though about human proverbs, (Confucius say).

[learn from history, doomed to repeat it, yes, we know] I interrupted briskly.

[What should be done with the prisoners?] Torfan wondered, staring at the two, trussed up in the back of the van… not far from where Jett hid beneath the tarp… though we could see the glint of her eyes through a gap in the tarp, in the darkness.

I eyed the pistol in Jacob's hand. The young man with the ripped shorts and baggy shirt had been carrying it in the back of his waistband. It had clearly been neglected… but the magazine was full of fat, ugly bullets, and Jacob seemed happy with the slide action of the weapon, compulsively flicking the weapon on and off safety.

Jacob really didn't like the other man. He was older, in his late thirties… but there was something about him that rubbed Jacob the wrong way… even when unconscious. A hard quality to his face. Probably subconscious memories again.

"Well… we've been at this for three days…" Jacob said slowly.

[Technically, three and a half days. Five if you count commute time] I pointed out, frustrated.

"We could always… bait a trap," Jacob said slowly, studying the unconscious and bound thieves thoughtfully.

"You would throw more of your kind to the enemy? Let the yeerks enslave them?" Helaine demanded, a "hot coed" once more. Jacob was having difficulty maintaining eye-contact. Or even getting his eyes above her sternum.

[Jacob. Please explain to her that a wet, white T-shirt is not sufficient covering] I growled.

[Why would I do that?] Jacob asked, startled.

[Because I will torment you if you don't] I said levelly.

Jacob hesitated.

[You play dirty] he complained, making no move to do as I said.

[Then think of it in other terms. How would the girl in question feel, to know she's being looked at in that way?] I asked.

[Girl? What girl?] Jacob asked, still distract.

[The girl the doctor acquired… idiot]

Understanding flashed through Jacob. As well as unease… and awkwardness. It was no longer an issue of physical attraction to something he'd not touched or held for more than six years, or any of his other male qualms and desires. This was a more clear cut issue. Jacob averted his eyes, and pulled off his police shirt.

"Doctor… please, come out from under the fire hydrant," Jacob said tightly.

[It is cooler here than in the sun] Dr. Helaine argued, making no move to leave the cascading umbrella of water. It was very hot. A handful of children were also shrieking and jumping in the water.

"You're attracting attention," Jacob said. The doctor looked around, and realized that there were several large males watching appreciatively. Then the wolf-whistles started… although the males kept glancing at Jacob… who appeared to be an off-duty officer… since we lacked most of the equipment carried by an officer.

[What does that sound mean?] Helaine asked, uncomfortable. She adjusted her stance… but sidling your hips like that was only an aggressive move when you had four legs… to redistribute the weight, in preparation for a tail with a blade to swing. On a human, it just looked provocative. [Jacob!] I hissed. The boy swallowed, and forcefully averted his eyes, moving under the water.

"It means, doctor, that they want to mate with you," I said harshly, since Jacob was too busy not-looking to talk, focused on getting his police shirt onto the doctor.

Strangely, the doctor had no sarcastic comments for that.

((()))

"You wish to… traumatize them?" Torfan asked, uncomfortable.

"My plan is simple. Scare the shit out of these bastards, until they run to the cops. Some psycho interrogated them, convinced they were aliens, for three days. Demanding to know about Yeerk troop movements, etc. After three days, they were released…" Jacob trailed off.

[The Yeerks no doubt have at least one infiltrator among the police force. So they will receive word of the report… and capture the humans…] Torfan said.

"Then presumably take them to be infested…" Jacob smiled grimly.

[And we find the pool…] I agreed.

Sonili-Esth-Fastil:

I roamed the ship… and felt very alone. I did not like the feeling. At all. My people do not enjoy solitude. We are vulnerable alone. We need others. We need… People. We are not so evolved that we have lost what we were. We are herd creatures. We were prey once… that became more than we were. There are no predators left upon our homeworld.

We overcame our predators. A pity, that we might be undone by parasites.

I paused, to consider that sentiment. In nature, predators were necessary… to keep prey strong. They took the weak. Had we become weak? Is that why mere parasites had become a threat to us?

I considered Jacob's people as I walked. They were neither predator, prey, nor parasite… but possessed the attributes from all three. They were all three, and neither. His people preyed on one another… they parasitized each other… and they were victims as well…

They could not be categorized.

And that, I felt, might be the key to their strength. They broke the rules. They were not tidy, neat. They were infinitely variable.

Something clinked in the dark cargo hold, and I leveled the Dracon beam, frozen, as my ears listened, and my stalk eyes slowly panned… searching for the danger.

My people did not do well when alone.

There. More noise. I disengaged the safety-locks on the weapon, double checking that the power indictor was on level two. I could change the setting to seven with a small flick of my sixth finger if the situation demand—

Ah. A rodent.

I stared at the creature for several seconds… and wished my family was here. Except my mother. I wanted my real family. The family that made me safe.

Esplin 1894:

[There is still time to reconsider] I pointed out.

"No. It was my idea. I'll do it. Besides, they already know my face," Jacob said.

But he wished someone else would do it. He said the words, the words he thought he was supposed to say, when he really wanted to run screaming from the room.

He wasn't afraid to hurt these men.

He was afraid he would like it.

[My predecessor is a shadow. He is not here. I am here] I said sternly.

"I can feel the twisted bits though… the pieces that healed around the rotten splinters," Jacob whispered, clenching his eyes, as he touched a piece in question. The otherness within Jacob's mind stirred, but little else.

[You are afraid of the wrong things] I sneered.

Jacob bristled, but his thoughts held no blades.

[You fear that you might become a monster, when you should fear the consequences of failure. Failure has far more dire results for your race, than if you become a monster. One effects the world, the other affects a handful of victims, maximum]

Jacob waivered.

[You do not have to be Gaston. Become the Beast if you must… but either way, you must protect your prize] I said

Jacob stared at his boots for several minutes, mulling over this, before he began to laugh.

"Just how bad is it, that my understanding of the worlds is filtered by Walt Disney?" Jacob mused.

[Better that than catatonic shock, or psychosis] I sniffed.

[Or is it just a Technicolor kind of psychosis?] Jacob wondered, pulling on the white gloves. We wanted the blood to show.

((()))

[Ropes. Check]

[Darkened room. Check]

[Pool of light. Check]

[Masked villain. Check]

Jacob nodded, satisfied.

[Helpless victims, check] I added.

[They should be waking up fairly soon… I think] Jacob said, peeling back an eyelid on the older captive. He was guessing. Making it up as he went along. The two men were bound to metal lawn chairs with duct tape. A lot of it. Six rolls, actually. Just in case.

They were positioned side by side, with two meters of space between them… and angled slightly away from each other. Jacob's reasoning was; that which was seen in peripheral vision was usually more terrifying.

Jacob returned to sit on a stool, where he could see both captives, and couched his chin on his fist, watching them. We had a ski mask on. Black, naturally. It was scratchy and hot in the room… which made sense, considering we were deep within the commercial district… a popular place for these sorts of things. The cement room was relatively quiet, considering the number of heavy machines being operated less than two hundred meters away, outside… but there was no way anyone would hear a scream from this room.

That, again, was the point.

The older man woke first, but he stayed limp, cracking his eyes slightly, and adjusted his breathing gradually, as if he'd woken for a moment, before slipping back under.

But he was awake. We could see the slight tension in his eyebrows. He was trapped… but he would wait, and see if an opportunity to escape presented itself.

We knew the moment the younger car-thief woke up… mainly because he filled the small room with the stench of urine.

[A lion. Clearly] I said, annoyed.

Jacob made no movement, continuing to watch them.

The young man in wet shorts watched us, terrified, for several minutes. We said nothing. Made no demands. Nothing.

"What do you want, man?" the piss drenched captive asked. He had a surprisingly likable face, the kind that almost screamed I am your friend. You can trust me. It was too open.

Jacob didn't trust him, for entirely that reason. His voice was also modulated to be as friendly and trustworthy as possible. Clearly, he had practiced.

So had we. We remained silent, remained sitting, watching. Jacob decided to call the young one Lion… as referenced to the Wizard of Oz. So a negative label.

"Are you… are you going to hurt us?" Lion asked.

We didn't move… and now the older, more experienced man decided to "wake up." Clearly he had questions too. He surged awake, and cursed, as if startled… like a man rolling out of bed, and waking up half-way to the ground. Tin man. Also from Oz.

"You the guard… or the interrogator?" Tin man asked.

It was a loaded question… though we weren't quite sure everything Tin man would learn if we answered.

We had a loaded question of our own. I had worked with Jacob for several hours, until his pronunciation was passable. He "sucked" at Galard.

"[I will release you in three days… Yeerk]," Jacob said slowly, to keep his pronunciation passable enough to understand.

Lion looked at us like we were insane.

Tin Man flinched for a moment, before hiding the emotion.

So… we actually did have an infiltrator. That… that gave us a different option… and I could taste the intensity of Jacob's relief.

"So I was right…" Jacob said with casual satisfaction, keeping his emotions clamped down.

"You're insane," Tin man said flatly. His poker face was good.

"We will see… in three days," Jacob shrugged, getting off his stool, and dragged a folding camp chair into the light, where he sat down, and pulled out a book.

An hour later, the man watched us intently. At two hours, he looked ready to burst. He assumed we were an Andalite in morph. Humans weren't aware of the Empire… and the Andalites would never deign to ally themselves with such a primitive race.

So… were we a new kind of Andalite? Or had Andalites begun training humans? Or something else?

He couldn't ask without confirming he was a Yeerk. There was still the hope he could escape detection. Bluff his way free.

[What about the bluff-deal?] I asked Jacob. He hadn't liked it. He felt it revealed too much of our cards, if the host was ever recaptured.

Letting the Empire think ex-controllers were fighting them was one thing… to let them know that a yeerk's technical knowledge and expertise also opposed them might keep them from underestimating Jacob.

[My reasons still haven't changed] Jacob growled.

[Starving the Yeerk will leave some memories behind in the host, but only five to ten percent, at random. If we want real information… we need to get our hands dirty] I argued. I felt very little empathy for my former nameless brethren. I was something new… something separate, and alone. I had no people. I was half-way nothing… a Yeerk addicted to human emotion. I was sick… and could never be cured.

I was also missing a Yeerk's greatest fear.

I would not starve.

(Unless Jacob died… but if he died, then so did I… so I still would not starve).

[You understand there's little you can do to prevent me from simply crawling out of your ear, right?] I asked.

[Esplin…] Jacob growled.

[It will save us time, and give as additional information!] I retorted.

[I don't want them to know about you] Jacob said quietly, letting the bluster fall flat. I saw what lay behind the growls and the anger.

Jacob was afraid of being alone… so he wanted to hide me. He mocked and teased me… but without me, he was just a host with more tricks than most. A brave fighter, unpredictable… but I had the knowledge he needed to succeed. Without me, there could be no victory. (And no, he was not being melodramatic for comedic effect. He actually believed it).

I was emotionally valuable to him.

[I am the brains, remember, cave-man?] I smirked.

Jacob was quiet for several minutes.

[Fire good…] Jacob grunted reluctantly.

[Now, call Torfan to take away the lion…] I said, pleased.

Jacob Nyles:

"So… now that we're alone… what's your designation?" I asked calmly.

Tin man raised an eyebrow.

"You don't resent the Empire? Even just a little?" I pressed.

"Which empire is that?" Tin man asked scornfully.

"The Roman Empire, naturally," I said calmly.

"Naturally," Tin man said.

"Aye, those bastards. How dare they inflict roads and aqueducts on the barbarian masses," I grumbled.

[And now the big reveal] Esplin prodded.

"There is another way," I said.

"To inflict roads and aqueducts?" Tin man asked.

"Sure. Ask the barbarians nicely," I nodded sagely… and pulled off that damned, scratchy mask. Man, the sweat felt good exposed to air. Still miserable, but slightly less.

"My host and I work together. We're… friends…" I said.

Tin man was watching me carefully now, his expression very guarded.

This might be a trick by his superiors. A loyalty test of some kind. Possibly inflicted for the hell of it.

"What do you want?" Tin man asked.

"Allies," I said promptly.

"If you really were an alien, wouldn't you be able to convince other humans to join you? Why would you need more aliens? Hypothetically speaking," Tin man said.

"Because there are billions of humans on earth… and only millions of off-planet yeerks. Some humans would welcome our control. Others would not… but the Andalites are a threat to both our races," I said calmly. Helaine and Torfan were probably not happy about that sentiment.

Tin man raised an eyebrow.

"The Andalites employed a Quantum virus once… against a population of less than a million. A terrible threat to them, yes, but on Earth… the threat is several orders of magnitude greater… if we can properly mobilize, the hosts against them, etc… but the Andalites have set a dangerous precedent: defeat the yeerks, by wiping out the hosts…" Esplin said.

"Why would you care?" Tin man asked.

"Because, is this world not beautiful? The colors, the sounds… the diversity. No other discovered planet has so complex a biosphere. Why keep fighting? Why not make this planet home?" Esplin demanded.

Tin man was unconvinced.

"This world is a diamond. Why fight, die, and bleed for gravel and coal? For trash? If we can hold this world… make a place for ourselves here… why would we need an empire of dirt worlds?" Esplin asked.

"You are dangerous," Tin man said quietly.

"Free thinking is always dangerous to organizations that maintain order through fear of summary execution. The council needs drones, not warriors or soldiers. Remember, we were all equals, once, during the Great Exodus… of Seerow's Kindness," Esplin shrugged.

"We were children then. The Andalites called us brutal, sadistic. But they forgot who first taught us… who first opened our eyes to the galaxy… how even the pointless wasting of life could have purpose. Sometimes… things could not be reused, scavenged, absorbed, integrated. Sometimes… things just had to be destroyed," Tin man said softly.

"We learned carnage from the Andalites," Esplin agreed softly.