Ch.9 Rachel To The Rescue
"I will keep her for twenty-four hours. You have exactly that long to go to the Yeerk Pool and turn yourself in." The conversation I'd just had with Visser Three rang in my head like a death knell. How could things go so wrong? Tobias stood carefully, then demorphed. [What happened?] he asked softly. He was well aware the mood I was in at that moment. I shook my head. "I don't know. I didn't even see Visser Three till he attacked." Tobias seemed to nod. "Did you see him?" I asked angrily. [No, all I remember was being slammed on the ground by Marco. He knocked me out.]
Tobias thought for a second. [He took Jordan, didn't he?] It wasn't so much a question as a statement. Now that he'd returned to consciousness, he realized someone was missing. The look in my eyes all but confirmed it. "He said that I have twenty-four hours to give myself up, or he'll infest her." I kicked a rock in anger. [We'll find a way out of this.] he said. I shook my head no. "How?" I asked. "Face it, the Yeerks might as well have me. I won't sacrifice her freedom for mine!" Tobias seemed to rack his brain. For about five minutes neither of us spoke.
[Well, we both know he's gonna infest her anyway.] Way to state the obvious. "You think I don't know that?" I raged. [Look, let's just head back to the logging camp, ok? We'll figure out our next move from there.] So we did. We flew in silence. I savored the quiet. I had no idea how I was gonna tell mom that one way or another, she was going to lose a daughter. Assuming the Visser kept his word, he'd still get me in her place. I racked my brain, trying to come up with a solution that didn't involve one or both of us becoming controllers.
My mother took the news better than expected. Luckily, my youngest sister was asleep. "I have faith in you, Rachel," she said. She was trying to calm me down. "You're gonna have to leave here with Sara," I said. There was an air of determination in my voice. "Why?" my mother questioned. "Because," I answered. "When they infest me, they'll have access to all my memories." Tobias had morphed human. "She's right," he said. I could hear the disappointment in his voice. "We can't trust Visser Three. Most likely, he's already infested Jordan. We won't have any way to know otherwise."
As Tobias explained the Yeerk life cycle to my mom, a lightbulb went off in my head. And oddly enough, I had Jake to thank for it. "Tobias, I have a plan," I said. I drug him upstairs to tell him the details, leaving my mom confused in our wake. I explained my plan to Tobias with great relish. As I finished, he smiled. "So what do you think?" I asked. He laughed. "I think it's brilliant. I'll make the arrangements tomorrow morning. For now, get some rest, cause you're gonna need it." It was relieving to know that I could do something right for a change.
I steeled myself for what was to come. There was no way out of this. My freedom, for my sister's. I knew what was expected of me. I went to the best place I knew. Assistant Principal Chapman's office. I knew that by now, he knew what I was. I didn't even knock. I just burst right in. "Ahh, Rachel, I've been expecting you." Visser Three must have known I'd come here. "What guarantee do I have that the Visser hasn't taken my sister?" I asked. I practically spit the words out. Chapman laughed at me. "Little girl, surely you don't think the Visser would harm his bargaining chip?"
I glared at him in response. "I want my sister first," I demanded. "Or no deal." He nodded. "I have to check with him first," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled something that looked to me like a makeup compact. Only it wasn't. He pressed a button on it, and Visser Three's holographic projection came forth. [This had better be good, Chapman. If that girl isn't here, it's your head.] the Visser threatened.
He turned it to me. "I'm here, Yeerk!" I yelled. "Now release my sister!" I couldn't believe what I was doing. Tobias was right, this was crazy. The Visser laughed. [The girl will be released when you are in the Yeerk Pool and not a moment sooner!] He paused. [Or shall I infest her now?] That pretty much concluded negotiations. "Ok, you win," I said. I'd never felt so defeated in my life. "I'm coming," I said sadly. [Good.] he said. [And when she gets here, we'll infest her sister first!]
I wasn't meant to hear that. The Visser must have forgotten to use private thoughtspeech. Chapman hit a button under his desk, and the book case revolved to reveal a stair way. [Is everyone ready?]" I asked. [We're all set, Rach. I can see Jordan. They haven't infested her yet.] Tobias replied. [It's now or never!] I nodded. It was time to make it official.
[Let's do it!]