Chapter 23
"In other news, police officials and the FBI remain baffled by the escape of the alien criminal known as Visser One. The investigation has come to a direct halt due to the clearing of their only suspect, Hannah Ligetsky. However in his address to the people, the president spoke on the subject:"
'There is no need for panic or even for worry about Visser One's escape. Our country's finest are on the job, and panicking only makes their job harder.'
"Contrary to popular demand and speculation, the famous heroes, the Animorphs, have not been asked to assist in the investigation or any other part of the situation. I'm Christine Christianson reporting for channel 94 new, wishing you a beautiful Saturday."
Michelle clicked off her television with a sigh. Usually on a Saturday she and Marco would be going over his schedule for the upcoming week, and figuring her flights out so they could get time together.
She doubted they'd be doing that anytime soon. Michelle mentally slapped herself while she got up and made breakfast for herself, dad and brother. Eggs, lots of bacon and blueberry muffins. This is no time to get weak. After all I didn't do anything wrong, She wouldn't be the one to buckle first and apologize. It wasn't her fault that Marco was being stubborn and hard-headed about this frankly stupid issue. The only thing she wanted was to be able to be close to him. He had always shut her out of the "Animorph" part of his life and past.
The only reason that bothered her was because she wanted to know everything about him, she loved everything about him. Why couldn't he see her point of view?
The smell of coffee and food brought her family downstairs sniffing the air like bloodhounds. Andy was still in his pjs, basketball shorts and an old Navy t-shirt. He came over giving a hug and a kiss on the cheek to Michelle. "Wow. Breakfast? Things must be going really well with Marco," Andrew teased. He took a plate and dug into the spread on the eat-in kitchen table. Her father, Michael, came over to the table in his police chief uniform and pulled out a chair for his daughter.
Mike spoke grace and they began their meal. Andrew shoveled food, talking about drills and studies at the Air Force Academy. Contrary to her hyper-active brother, Michelle smiled and talked little, pushing her scramble eggs around her plate.
"Well, I've got to get to work. Thanks, sis!"
"You're welcome, Andy," Michelle gathered up the dishes and started a sink full of soapy water. Her father watched her quietly, turning a mug of coffee around by the handle.
Finally Mike stood and dumper his empty mug in the sink, rubbing Michelle's shoulders with a strong, comforting hand. Michelle's shoulders dropped. "That was an excellent meal, Shelly. But you're exactly like your mother, in looks and actions, and whenever she was upset she usually cooked up a storm. I could always tell when she was mad at me because she would cook ALL my favorites, for one meal. What's wrong?"
Tears began dripping into the soapy water with almost inaudible 'plops.' Michelle threw herself into her father wrapping her soapy arms around him tightly. Mike rocked gently on his feet, attempting to lessen Michelle's sobs. Michelle quieted and drew away wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry about your uniform Daddy. You should probably change so you can get to work."
Mike shook his head, his normally laughing eyes serious. "They can get on without me, besides you need a spill session." He pulled his daughter back to the couch, Michelle protesting.
"Daddy, I'm fine! It's no big deal anyways. You need to—"
"Of course it's a big deal; you're crying about it." Mike patted the couch cushion invitingly. Michelle relinquished her last finger-hold on her pride with a sigh and plopped down next to her dad, leaning into his side. Mike wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her arm. "So, spill."
And Michelle did; from her dinner date to the attack on the beach and her argument with Marco in the limo. "I just don't know what to do. Am I wrong? Is he wrong? Should I do something or wait for him to or… what should I do?"
Mike stared across the room to a picture on the fireplace mantle of him and his late wife, Renée. Speaking gently and quietly, Michael attempted to calm his daughter. "I don't think it is really a matter of right or wrong, Shelly. I think is really has more to do with a matter of individual beliefs." Michelle looked at her father through slightly red and puffy eyes. Michael elaborated. "You are trying to do what you think is right, what a wife does for her husband, help and support him. But Marco is doing what he believes is right, and what I would expect him to do if you two get married; protect you. The problem here is not that one of you is wrong and the other is right. You are both right, but there need to be a compromise. Both of you are strong, stubborn individuals. I don't want you two to completely back off, but you should take a couple steps away from controlling each other's lives. Then you both are happy and still doing what is right for the other, and can continue this relationship with clearer heads."
Michelle thought deeply about what her father said, her concentration creasing her forehead and wrinkling her nose in a way that Michael thought was adorable; although he would never tell her that. Her temper was too much like his Renée's for him to chance a comment like that.
Finally Michelle's face relaxed, and she smiled at her dad. "Alright. I think I am willing to compromise. But Marco won't, you should have seen him, Dad." She sighed in exasperation, "He can be so stubborn!"
Michael gently squeezed his youngest child's shoulder. "Don't worry, Shelly. He'll come around just give him time. In the meantime why don't you give a girlfriend a call and go to the mall. I've got to get to work, and it's not healthy for you to mope around the house, cooking up a storm. Andy and I need to watch our prime figures, y'know."
Michelle stood up, and bent over him to kiss his cheek. "Okay." She ran lightly down the hallway to her room on the main floor.
Michael slumped in the couch, sighing when he glanced at his watch. Sometimes being father and mother was exhausting.
-:ANIMORPHS:-
Michelle sat on the green-flowered comforter of her bed staring at her phone book. Unsurprisingly, she had very few girlfriends. Out of the, like eight, she had, two were on vacation, on had moved and changed numbers, two couldn't hang out due to college class on Saturday, Cassie was working all day at the Yellowstone National Park with the colony of Hork Bajir, and Rachel hadn't answered.
Michelle tapped her pencil over the last number on her short list, one that Cassie had given her when she had declined Michelle's offer to hang out. "Give Ani a call; if she's not busy I am sure she'd love a trip to the mall."
It's not that Michelle didn't like Ani; it was only that a day with an aloof, alien princess would be more like slow torture, not relaxation and fun.
On the other hand, she had seemed sweet most of the time, and her week and a half on earth might have softened her even more. Since Anidoria was the only logical last choice, unless she wanted to go alone, Michelle decided to give it a whirl.
Dialing rapidly so she couldn't lose her resolve, Michelle placed the cell to her ear, waiting anxiously hoping she'd get an answer and also hoping she wouldn't.
"Hello, this is Tobias."
Michelle frowned before speaking. "Hi, Tobias. I'm sorry this is Michelle. Cassie gave me this number for Ani?"
"Yep. I'm down in the meadow with her and Ax. I'll put her on, just as soon as—"
There was a minute of silence, followed by muffled conversation and bumps and scratching on the phone's speaker. Michelle assumed that Anidoria was morphing to human since thought-speak would not carry over a phone. "Yes?" Ani's clipped human tone off-set Michelle's nerves.
"Um, yes, well…" Michelle smacked her fist onto her mattress in an attempt to solidify her slushy brain. "Yes, Ani. I was wondering, if of course you are not too busy, if you want to accompany me on a trip to the mall? I don't have anyone else to go with and I thought you might enjoy some feminine company." Michelle waited tersely for the alien woman's answer. There was a muffled argument, or half of one as the only voice Michelle could hear was Ani's.
"Michelle? I'd love to go. You are completely correct in your assumption. I do need to spend time away from certain males."
Michelle tried not to choke on the amount of bitterness coming through the phone. "Great, I'll pick you up? You don't mind riding a motorcycle do you? Or being human for a couple hours?"
"Not at all. I will await your arrival at the Mouindi's driveway.
"Ok, see you then." After hanging up, Michelle grinned, well at least she could gripe with Ani about the problems with "certain males."
-:ANIMORPHS:-
Ani placed the cellular device back on the little desk inside the scoop. She glanced at Aximilli who seemed still furious that he had lost the argument about her trip to the mall.
Some of his argument was sound; the fact that it hadn't gone so well the last time she had been at the mall and that she still need time to recuperate from the vicious animal attack –even though he needed rest more than she did. But she was not going to list to his voice of reason. Yes, she was still furious with Ax about his little high-and-mighty, male dominance play from the day before.
Besides, he needed to learn that he did not control her. Michelle is a nice girl, Ani thought, it might be fun.
She walked unsteadily on her still human legs, gathering certain items into a hand bag: sunglasses from Rachel, a compact mirror –also from Rachel, the extra cellular telephone, and a wallet with $50 cash.
Double-checking her purse, Ani demorphed and remorphed to human. Striding out of the scoop; Ani headed in the direction of Cassie's home. Ax moved in front of her, his hand in front of him. -Where are you going?-
Ani stood ramrod straight, almost like a soldier at attention before their superior officer. However her answer was hardly respectful. "Out."
Ax's main eyes narrowed and his stalk eyes swiveled away from Tobias, who was shaking his head in a minute warning. -Out where?-
"Out with Michelle." She moved to pass Ax, signaling that her interview was over. Ax stepped in front of her again. There was a smack of flesh on flesh as Tobias' hand met his face.
"Aximili, we discussed this. Get out of my way. I do not want to be late when Michelle comes to pick me up."
-You cannot expect me to allow you out in the open after such a blatant attack! It's too dangerous!-
"If I remember correctly I handled the attack better than you." Ani stated culturing her tone to be as scathing as possible. "I believe I saved you, so obviously I can handle myself." Now for the final blow; calling him a coward. "But you stay here and remain in hiding. It is dangerous out there." With that comment Ani stomped off through the tree toward the road.
Ax stamped a hoof in obvious frustration, his hands clenched tight. –S-she is so stubborn!-
"I wonder where she learned that."
-ANIMORPHS-
"So," Michelle started. "How is your ship building going?"
Ani smiled, "Very well. My estimate is that we will be fully operational in three weeks."
"That's good, right? You can go home," Michelle smiled back.
"We will return to the Andalite home world but only to retrieve the necessary crew members then we will return to our post."
They took a detour, entering a dvd store. Michelle headed straight for the sci-fi area flipping through clearance Star Trek, Doctor Who, Firefly and more. Ani stood beside her and looked through biographies, pulling out one on Marco to show her companion.
Michelle looked up in interest to see what Ani liked and scoffed. It was a biography on Marco; he sat in a big wing-backed chair in a suit, his one leg crossed over the other and his fingers steepled intelligently. Michelle laughed drily. "That's a side of him we don't see very often."
Ani's face crinkled in confusion. "That sounded rather bitter."
"Yeah, well, he didn't use his brain when last we spoke."
"I see. Do you suppose it is engrained in the make DNA to not use their mental faculties?"
Michelle's laughter exploded over the store causing the single employee to glare at the duo. Michelle clapped her hands over her mouth. "That sounded like you're speaking from experience." Michelle whispered.
"Males are just very overprotective, even when we females have proven that we are perfectly apt to care for ourselves."
The two girls left the video store. Michelle linked her arm through Ani's. "I'm glad you came. Thank you for agreeing to come here. This is exactly what I needed."
"I concur. I required a reprieve from that overbearing Andalite who thinks I cannot protect myself."
Michelle's face creased in thought, debating how best to respond. "I'm not trying to defend him or anything, but I think Ax may be overbearing to protect you. It may frustrate him that you have exposed yourself to the hardships of life in the military. Death, injury, struggle, and lots of PTSD. He cares for you, even though you two argue."
"I only argue with him because he assumes that he always knows what needs to be done. That h has the perfect plan for everything. I have ideas too. I have dreams that only the Andalite Elite Force can fulfill. I went through the exact same training regime he did, and I do not understand why he would belittle me by assuming I can neither fight nor help and that I would be so selfish as to leave him alone to die!" Ani stopped walking and threw out her arms only to draw them in again to clutch herself in a self-hug, as she whispered her next words. "I would never abandon him even if it would mean my own death to stay. It matters not if he does not appreciate, acknowledge or even want my help in battle or life outside of it, I offer it regardless. I love him."
Rather than gasping or staring at Ani for revealing such a personal conviction, Michelle smiled brightly. "Isn't it a wonderful feeling?"
Ani shook her head. "I do not know if coming to this conclusion is a detrimental curse or beautiful gift."
"That depend solely on how you choose to act on this knowledge and how Ax responds."
"I will not speak to him on this!"
Michelle put a hand on Ani's shoulder, preventing her from walking away. "But what if he loves you too?"
"He does not. That I am certain of."
"I didn't think Marco loved me." She smiles reminiscently.
"But you and Marco never have arguments and it is obvious that he cares for you deeply."
The smile slipped off of Michelle's face. " Yes, we do. Actually, the reason I'm at the mall today is because we had a fight. We are not perfect Ani. No relationship is perfect because the people involved are not perfect."
Ani searched Michelle's eyes for the sincerity of a person who believes what they say. Finding it, Ani made a contemplative sound. "If you do not consider it too bold and intrusive of me; what was it that has forced your relationship to falter?"
"I don't mind, we were on this date and we were attac—"
"OH! MY! GOSH! Ani!? I haven't see you in like two weeks! What are the odds that we're at the mall at the same time?!" A girl with curly, black hair swooped down out of a store and hugged Ani, her many shopping bags swinging and hitting Ani with the momentum of their owner. Ani stiffened but offered an awkward smile.
"Hello, Hannah. How are you?" Ani asked primly as soon as she had disentangled herself from the bubbly woman.
"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Working for my maniacal boss, eating, sleeping, and seeing an occasional movie. Speaking of which Thor: the Dark World is playing now. I'm really wanting to see it, but I hate going by myself." She gasped and her eyes widened in excitement. "Ani! Would you like to go with me? Please!" Ani looked panicked for a split second. Michelle caught her look and recognized the reason. She looked at her watch. There was no way she could get through a movie unless she demorphed right before they went in. That meant a trip to the bathroom. She could wrangle one of those, easily.
"Your friend could come too. I'm sorry we've never met." The excitable woman stuck out her hand with a wide grin. "I'm Hannah."
Michelle smiled warmly and gripped the woman's hand tightly. "Michelle. We'd love to join you; I've wanted to see Thor 2 as well."
Hannah giggled uncontrollably and clapped her hands. Ani turned an almost terrified look at her friend. Michelle responded with a loaded and comforting look. Don't worry.
"But I have to go use the ladies room. Ani? Would you come with me? You know how I hate going into small rooms with no windows by myself. Well, ever since we saw that horror film." Inside Michelle cringed at the lie. After all, only lies had details and she had never been frightened by horror movies. Hannah seemed to accept the lie.
"Okay, well hurry back so we can catch the next showing. I'll get tickets."
Michelle seized Ani's arm and dragged her in the direction of the ladies room. As soon as they were in the restroom Michelle held a finger to her lips. Ducking her head she leaned over checking for feet under the stall doors. "Okay, we're good. You can change back, and as long as the previews aren't too long we have enough time to see the movie. If you're still hungry we can get popcorn and soda for the film." She kicked the trashcan in front of the bathroom door to partially block the door and provide a warning of entering persons.
Ani's face betrayed her excitement. "Aximili has told me of this activity. Thank you, Michelle." Ani paused as her smile turned upside-down. "How did you know of the limited form time?"
Michelle's lips tweaked with a hidden smile, Ani ducked into the handicapped stall ad began stripping out of the human clothing. She tossed them over the door. Michelle caught them and folded them, and clutched them to her stomach before she answered. "Marco. I've proofread his book series idea that he's sending to a friend in a publishing business. I think it's an interesting idea, turning their life into fiction. But most fiction is based on some truth. That's how I know. You should probably dimorph before Hannah gets impatient."
*Already done.* Ani's main eyes crinkled in humor when Michelle whipped her head around. *Have you never experienced thought communication?*
Michele laughed at her own shocked expression in the bathroom mirror. "No, no. I mean, no I haven't but I'm fine. You're purple."
*Yes*
A banging broke the silence as the metal trashcan fell over from the force of the opening door. Michelle's face flashed annoyance. She swiftly moved forward, pushing Ani back into the empty stall muttering; "We really don't need nosy reporters stalking us," by way of explanation. "Morph back." Michelle peeked through the space between the stall door and the wall. An elderly woman stooped to pick up the fallen trashcan and entered another stall. Ani tapped Michelle on the shoulder drawing her attention away from spying.
"We should go."
The two girls tiptoed out of the stall and out of the bathroom. Meeting up with Hannah, the two slowed to a leisurely stroll. Hannah brandished three paper slip tickets as if she held the Holy Grail. "My treat. This is gonna be so much fun! I'm so glad I ran into you two!" Hannah linked her arm through Ani's. Michelle pointed to the snack stand.
"I'll get snacks. Ani, what do you want?"
After Michelle returned with both girl's orders Hannah dragged Ani towards the theatre room. Grabbing seats in the back next to the wall, "You get the best sound here."
Ani scanned the dark room curiously. She put a hand on Michelle's arm to get her attention. "What is that for over there?"
Michelle squinted her eyes in an effort to see through the darkness. "That's a speaker. Although it's larger than any others I've seen."
Hannah poked her head around Ani's right side to talk to Michelle. "They're brand new sound systems. It means bigger booms!" She smiled widely. "That's my favorite part about movie theatres. It's not perfect until you almost lose your hearing."
Michelle put her mouth right next to Ani's ear and whispered, "Are you sure we can trust her?"
"Of course," Ani whispered back, copying Michelle's move.
The movie started and Ani was impressed overall. The idea of moving pictures for entertainment was novel. However the idea of super-human aliens was far-fetched. There was no race like the Æsir on any planet like Asgard to her knowledge.
On screen the two brothers and human companion stood at the top of the black gravel dune. Loki turned to his brother. "You still don't trust me?"
Thor gave Loki a pointed look. "Would you?" Ani knew he was weakening in his resolve of having Loki handcuffed.
Thor unclasped the handcuffs. Called it. Turning away from Loki to put the cuffs away, Thor missed the dagger that Loki slid from his sleeve to his palm. "No, I wouldn't." Loki muttered as he stabbed Thor and shoved him down the gravel dune.
Schtk. Schtk.
A pinprick of pain spread from Ani's neck, encompassing her ears with ringing. Her eyesight began fading and her limbs grew heavy as lead.
Her vision went completely dark as a rough sack of fabric was shoved over her head.
"I wouldn't have trusted me either," was the last thing Ani's brain registered before shutting her consciousness down.
