Chapter 4
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I only had one chance, and I knew I had to do it. More to save April's life than to help Jake.
I angled myself, tipping off the edge of the building and heading straight for Jake's head.
"What the-" I heard someone say behind me, but it was too late now.
I flared my wings at the last second, talons extended and heading for Jake.
Two things happened in succession.
Jake realised I was there, slamming a paw into my side and sending me tumbling somewhere behind him. And Visser Two just happened to pop her head out of the tent just as he hit me.
"Andalite!" Someone yelled as I hit the ground, pain shooting up my side before I found I was being picked up roughly in sharp jaws.
"No, Animorph!" Visser Two snapped "Get them!"
Sharp teeth kept digging further into me as he ran, skidding around a corner with what I guessed was controllers following.
"Don't let them get away, or I'll have your heads!" Came the scream as we dove into a dark alleyway, seeing lights bouncing around further up the alleyway, before someone took a shot at us.
(You've ruined everything!) Jake snapped, diving through a broken window, hearing shouts behind us as he climbed a set of stairs.
(You were going to kill April!) I snapped back, realising what I'd done and knowing I was done for now.
He dove into a random apartment before the Controllers could get up the stairs, spitting me out and almost throwing me as he dove behind a counter.
I heard the thundering of the stairs, focusing on shifting into the smallest thing I could think of, knowing Jake would either do the same, or...
Or wait for the right moment to strike. I just hoped he wasn't stupid enough to try it.
Now a fly, I latched myself under what I guessed was a table, seeing lights illuminate the room around me.
"Check everywhere!" I heard her snap, seeing several people come into the apartment, thundering around everywhere. I saw them head towards the counter...
To my surprise, nothing happened, and they continued through the rest of the apartment.
"Clear!" I heard someone yell, and suddenly everything went back into darkness, besides the small slits of light coming through the windows.
I didn't chance moving until I knew for sure they were gone, buzzing my wings and moving myself on top of the table, not sure where Jake had gone, but knowing I had to get out of here. The others needed to know about April...
I shifted back to myself, now finding myself sitting on the table, looking towards the door and straining my ears, not hearing anything.
"You!" Instantly my throat was grabbed, and my head was slammed down on the table, finding Jake over me. His eyes...
"I-" I tried to say something, but his grip tightened, making me gasp. His full weight was on me, on this table, as I desperately tried to pull at his hands.
By some miracle the table started to creak under our weight, finally breaking and giving me a chance to kick him between the legs, making him roll off me, holding himself on the floor as I staggered up and against a wall. I gasped for breath as he groaned a little.
"You stupid little bitch!" He snarled, trying to get up but I managed to get out of the way, keeping some distance between us and getting into a fighting stance, still holding my neck with one hand. He had just tried to kill me!
What the hell was wrong with him?!
"Do you really think killing April would have done any good?" I managed to ask him, seeing him try and step towards me again, but I backed up, moving myself so I didn't get cornered into a wall or anything. Eventually, Jake stopped, instead pointing a finger at me.
"They wouldn't have April if it wasn't for you!"
I couldn't help but stare at him.
"Me? I couldn't have stopped April from going ho-"
"Not what I mean, you little whore you!"
"Watch who you're calling a whore" I snarled, part of me tempted to fight him, but another knowing he'd probably try and choke me again if I got too close. And while we were human... he had the upper hand.
He started to come at me again, but I managed to keep a good distance between us, and he now stopped in the middle of the room, glaring at me.
"If you hadn't corrupted my cousin..."
"What?! Corrupted her how?!" Now he wasn't making any sense.
"Yes, you made her... want... that thing!"
"Jake, are you really-"
"You and that beast are disgusting! I can't believe you chose it over me"
I had no words to say, instead just staring at him in disbelief.
"And because of that...Rachel followed your lead!"
"How the hell does that have anything to do with April and the Yeerks?!"
"Cause if you two hadn't gotten so fucking swept up whoring yourselves to them... NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!"
He suddenly dove forward before I could counter, finding I was slammed against the wall, hands around my throat and holding me off the ground.
Again, I fought to get free, seeing his face close to mine now, those eyes cold and uncaring.
"If you hadn't gotten involved with those stupid reptiles, we would have bee more focused on the Yeerks, and they wouldn't have invaded earth!"
I fought again to get free, feeling my air being cut off as he pushed harder, fighting to at least be able to breathe.
"But no.. you and Donnie... as soon as you two... you fucked up, over, and over, and over... and even now! You...fucked... up"
I couldn't respond, knowing I had to do something or he really would kill me.
I moved to kick him, suddenly finding I was thrown onto the floor again, being able to breathe for just a split second before he was on me again, pinning my legs down as he straddled my hips, hands back around my throat, pushing down as hard as he could.
"I think it's time I got rid of you, then you won't screw any more of my plans up. And maybe... just maybe... I'll find a way to win. Without you and your stupid-"
I heard a hard thunk, before I saw Jake's eyes roll up into his head, almost collapsing completely on me. I suddenly found I could breathe again, throwing his hands of my neck and gasping for breath as suddenly he was roughly shoved off me, looking up to see my savior.
I was half expecting Donnie, instead finding Serah there. She was holding what was left of a chair. From what I could see, the rest had broken off when she'd clocked Jake over the head.
"Ser?" I finally managed to get out, coughing a little as she tossed the remnants of the chair aside, holding out a hand for me to grab and hauling me up. I gasped for breath, leaning a little against the wall when the room started to spin slightly. He'd... he'd...
Slowly, I turned to look at Serah, trying to avoid looking at the lifeless form next to us.
"That idiot had it coming" She wiped her hands on her jeans a little, looking at me and smiling.
"How... did you-"
"I uh... well I had a feeling you might need some help"
I looked at her, and she held up her hands a little.
"Hey, I know how to shift, so I uh... snuck out and followed you"
"Ser, it's dangerous here" I finally managed t get out normally, rubbing my throat and finally looking down at Jake. He was laying face down, and I pushed him a little with my shoe, then shoved him harder when he didn't move, rolling him onto his back. His eyes were closed, and his face had no expression.
Good, out cold.
"I know but... Jake is an ass, and I had-"
"Ser, you could have been killed!" I managed to get out, not knowing if she realised the situation we were now in. I started to hunt around the apartment, finding a standing wardrobe.
"But I didn't" She said, almost smugly.
"This isn't a game Ser, if you don't keep your eyes open, you could get hurt" With that, I shifted into a gorilla, tossing Jake roughly into the wardrobe, then shutting the door. I shifted back, looking around in the half light, seeing an old belt laying around, grabbing it and expertly looping it around the handles, half locking him in. I heard her make a sound, looking annoyed but didn't say anything else.
At that moment something flashed on my wrist, and I moved my hand up to see my watch blinking rapidly away.
I tapped, suddenly seeing Donnie's worried face on the screen.
"Jade! Your device went-"
"I'm okay, I'm okay! Seriously... I am" I had to cut him off, feeling the look on his face told me more than enough. My device triggered some sort of panicked reaction, mostly for Donnie.
"What happened?" I heard Leo say, half squeezing into view behind his brother.
"Guys, I don't want you to panic, but... Jake happened" I finally admitted, seeing shock on Leo's face, and anger on Donnie's. I saw him start to move-
"But I'm good! I'll explain later, but-"
"What happened to your neck?" Leo asked, and I saw Donnie tense, looking closely.
"Hey, look who saved me!" I brought the watch away from my face, and towards Serah, who smiled down at the two.
"Serah?" Now Leo sounded shocked, and also... something else.
"Hey guys, I saved the day"
"That's great, but how did you get out there" Leo sounded annoyed. Donnie had gone silent.
"Um... I became an owl and flew?"
"Okay guys, enough talk" I turned the watch back to me "We gotta move, and we gotta move fast"
"What about Jake?"
"He's in the closet" I admitted, showing him the small wardrobe and hearing what sounded like Mikey let out a snort.
"Uuuh, Jade?" I heard Leo ask, looking worried.
"He'll get out. Until then, he'll be... somewhat... safe from the Yeerks"
"Oookay then"
"What? Not like we can trust him around for the time being"
At that moment I heard a crash from somewhere outside the apartment.
"Gotta go" I cut communication, turning to Serah, who looked worried now.
"Under" I pointed to the bed, and she nodded, getting down on the floor and started to crawl under the bed as I flattened myself up against the wall of the bedroom near the door, peeking out as I heard another crash even closer to us.
I started to shift, seeing almost pure fear in Serah's eyes as I could now hear footsteps coming towards the apartment.
(Whatever you do, don't move) I said to her, finally full tigress (I'll take it from here)
She looked like she was going to say something, but at that moment whoever it was entered the apartment, muttering to themselves.
I took that moment to strike, diving out of the cover of the bedroom, seeing three human controllers. The look on their faces changed from bored to terrified as they realised they had a full grown tigress coming at them.
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I stood in the hallway, panting heavily. There were more people around than I thought. I barely had time to take them out, one of them getting a lucky shot in my left leg, so I was now bleeding.
(Ser, you okay?)
I heard a sound, limping back into the apartment as she came out to me, probably seeing the blood on my muzzle and leg.
"Y-yeah, are you?"
(All good) I shifted back, looking around the apartment. Thankfully, I didn't hear anything else coming before I completed my shift.
"We gotta get to the roof"
"Uh, why?"
I rolled my eyes, going to stand at the door, looking left and right, then indicating she follow me. I opened the door to the stairwell, going in first and looking up the winding staircase, then down them. It all seemed quiet...
"Hey!" A shout from behind us made us both snap our heads around, just before a shot ricocheted off the handrail next to us. I grabbed Serah's arm, almost throwing her towards the stairs, pushing her up them and shutting the door behind us, finding no way to lock it so I just followed Serah as quickly as I could.
We ran as fast as we could up the stairs, hearing at least one controller come in behind us, chasing us up the stairs.
He fired another shot, and we both threw ourselves back against the wall, before I pushed Serah to keep going.
"Don't stop!"
"Okay!" She almost shrieked, and we threw ourselves up those stairs as fast as possible, finally hitting the door to the roof and shoving our way through.
We spun around, throwing our weight against the door and I grabbed some kind of metal pipe, shoving it against the door and knowing it wouldn't hold for long.
"Shift! Now!" I yelled, feeling them hit the door, starting to shift into something heavier to hold the door.
"What about-"
"Just hurry!" I snapped with the last of my mouth, which was soon replaced with the muzzle of a gorilla.
I saw her nod, closing her eyes and seeing a silver ripple go through her body. Some stupid part of my mind realised this was the first time I'd ever see her shift, but the rest of me was too focused on now holding the door, which was getting slammed by heavy bodies.
I watched in amazement as she shrunk, then her skin started to become patterned, her clothes starting to melt into her now forming feathers, seeing her nose and mouth melt together and harden, pushing out to become the small beak of the barn owl.
Soon she was done, and opened her wings, flapping them hard. I half wondered if she knew how to-
(Come on Jade!)
Okay, I guess she did know how to thought speak.
(Get out of range of the door!) I tried to jam the flimsy metal pipe as hard as I could up against the door again, turning and lumbering towards the edge of the building, shifting awkwardly as I went, hearing the door slam open behind me, shots being fired at my still shifting form.
I felt one hit my leg, crying out as I hit the ledge of the building, tipping over it and starting to fall.
(Jade!) I heard Serah scream, but I was already shifting the last of me, opening my wings just before the ground and shooting upwards, the wound forgotten as I scraped the wall a little, seeing Serah floating over another rooftop not far form us, seeing the controllers-
(Serah, go!) I yelled, flying past her and wishing I could just push her little birdy butt to move.
I knew she was following me, instinctively ducking a little as shots started to go past us.
We were sitting ducks out here!
(Serah, DIVE!) I yelled, tucking my wings in and heading between two buildings. I saw her dive with me, out of the corner of my-
(AAAAAAH!) A sudden piercing scream, and I turned to see her now falling, angling my wings and grabbing her as best I could, trying to slow her fall, but her scream made it hard to concentrate as we crashed through a window, both of us tumbling away from one another. I felt my little birdy wing snap and I groaned in pain.
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!) Serah's ear curling scream cut through any thought or feeling I had, almost shattering what was left of my mind.
(Serah, stop) I tried to say, barely even hearing myself as she continued to scream. Something finally clicked, and I realised why she was screaming so loudly.
(Serah, you need to shift!)
(OHGODJADEITHURTS!) She screamed again, and I managed to sit up, hobbling my way over to where she was flailing around helplessly.
(I know, I know, but you need to shift... you need to become you, and when you do it'll go away)
(I...I...I...)
(Serah, that's an order!) I finally snapped, starting to shift back, hoping it would show her what I meant. She looked up at me with scared little owl eyes, watching me intently as I finally completed my shift, moving to pick her up.
(OOWWW! IT HURTS!)
"I know it does, now come on!"
She continued to whine in thoughtspeak, and I heard a thump from outside the door, then a thudding as what sounded like footsteps came up the stairs, looking around and trying to find somewhere to hide. If Serah didn't-
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Before I could move, a horrible explosion rocked the earth, making me stumble with Serah still in my hands. My knee hit the carpet, in an effort to stay upright and keep Serah safe, looking outside...
And caught the start of an entire building starting to collapse near us.
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Hmm, what shall happen now? Only I know!
And as always, constructive criticism appreciated!