A/N: This chapter is set during Animorphs #18: The Decision. I don't own any of the Andalite dialogue quotes of the book I may use.
I have so many people to dedicate this to.
First off, to teh Michy. I know I didn't reply to your CF thing – I just thought you may like to have a personal note on the chapter:P I LOVED your CF! You should write a whole fic with it. It is honestly that good. I almost cried at the last line, it was so beautiful… And how do I do it? Well, maybe the fact that I created it sort of helps. ;) Thanks very much for making my week, once again!
Secondly, to Ember Nickel. Woot, THIS is up. Well, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you put up another chapter of The Anati Chronicles for me to read! I love that fic!
Third, to estrid2006. You're welcome. And thanks for making the right decision – I was happy to correct your story, I simply couldn't send it yet due to STUPID FFN'S ERRORS. As soon as I can get into your profile, I will send it! Please never give up your amazing potential to write. Anyone can write, but telling a story with your words is something you're born with – and you've got it. I'm proud to be considered your friend.
And last, but DEFINITELY not least, to MsTria – more than any other chapter, this one's for you.
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Visser Three's Journal
Chapter 13
Do What You Have to Do
June 15th
Dear Journal,
I've been way, way, WAY too busy to write. It's been a bit more than two weeks now since I've been able to even lay a finger on you. But I have a lot to say today, so we might as well get started now. I don't exactly have all the time in the world today… but I feel I must share these recent experiences… and discoveries.
We'd been moving back and forth from planet Leera since the day we went to visit Visser Four. She'd asked us to help with a new machine they were building, and since I wasn't scheduled to be on Earth anytime soon, I decided to help them. Plus, it would give me a chance to glare at Councilor Two, who would also be there. Councilor Two is really getting on my nerves lately. I spoke with him quite a few times, and he's just annoying… maybe I've just been seeing him way too often? Anyway, I accepted to help them with this "top secret" mission. But Visser One, she only got to help half the times I did – she had supervisions on Ssstram, on the Anati system, on Earth, on EVERYWHERE! So she only came once in a while, and every time she did, she'd hug and kiss Councilor Two, and tell him how much she missed him, and he'd look at her with soft brown eyes and smile with thousands of brilliant white teeth and tell her he LOVED her. Blech. Councilor Two being MUSHY makes me sick.
Good thing Visser One only came once in a while…
… And unfortunately for me, today was one of those days.
I saw a hand waving in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. " Visser Three!"
Aware that I must have been looking like a deer in the headlights, I lifted my chin and looked at her. She was wearing JEANS and a BIKINI TOP. On an EMPIRE MISSION! What, oh what is the Empire coming to when our highest-ranking military officer goes on an important supervision mission dressed like a –
" VISSER THREE!" she snapped.
( WHAT? )
" I asked you a question."
( Please… repeat yourself? ) I suggested icily.
She frowned and rolled her eyes. " Councilor Two wanted to know if you wanted a reassignment."
I was shocked. ( A reassignment? Why? Am I no longer needed on Earth? )
Visser One frowned again. She certainly does do a lot of frowning.
" Visser Three, you are not needed anywhere. You are just a useless piece of shit."
I raised an eyebrow and asked, just DRIPPING fake concern, ( Visser One… you know your pills are in your drawer WHENEVER you need them. Please, don't hesitate to take them! It could save LIVES! )
" Ohh, quit your melodrama!" she exclaimed. She hated it when I spoke of the Pills of Doom.
Since you're my Journal, and I tell you everything, I'll tell you this… see, Visser One has a little… hormonal imbalance. Yes, we Yeerks have hormones too, for producing slime, for sticking to our mates during reproduction, to control our emotional balance… Well, Visser One has just a little bit less than she needs to have. Or so I've been told – Visser One never divulged much into it, the only reason I know THIS much is because I kept harping on about the pills for about a month, and she finally cracked and told me. Anyway, it's nothing serious, but it embarrasses her beyond belief, and she HATES taking her pills to regulate. I don't understand what's so bad about it, myself… I mean, the pills completely stabilize her hormones.
Probably just Visser One being a big fat drama queen again.
She seems to do that a lot.
But in any case, that would explain this morning's complete spaz-out. Her emotions are linked to her hormones, and if she forgets to take her pill, they become unstable and she absolutely has a freaking COW. Believe it or not, you actually eventually get USED to practically being brutally murderedby an angry She-Freak every single day of your life!
But anyway. Enough of that and back to our show.
Would you like some water with your dish? asked the Leeran – yes, ALFREDO – as Visser One, Councilor Two and I sat just outside the main building on Flashing-Red-Target Island (you know the place).
Yeah, we "found" Alfredo. Oh goody.
I stared down at my dish, a Leeran delicacy – which also happened to be a shitty green, voluptuous pile of gross.
( Must I eat this? ) I said to no one.
I looked at Visser One, who hesitantly gave back her dish to Alfredo. " Thanks… but no thanks."
Alfredo seemed disappointed, but walked away without saying a word. I set my own dish on the ground.
( Visser One… )
" Hmm?"
( You know, ) I said cynically, ( just because you're on planet Leera does NOT mean you have to HAVE to impress everyone with your bikini, Visser One. )
She glared at me. Councilor Two laughed fondly and nudged her. She mock-glared at him. It was only the three of us outside, sitting in the warmth of the Leeran sun that could only barely be perceived through the fog. Visser Four was inside, tending to some obscure affair. Probably just sorting things out with her secretary. It wasn't until ten minutes later, when she came outside to join us, that the first hints to the depth of this situation were revealed…
" Hello, everyone," she said with a small smile. I turned to look at her, dressed in a yellow-and-black outfit, her brown hair drawn up in a messy ponytail (Visser Four, apparently, still hadn't mastered the "feminine touch"), and it was then that I noticed that she had another person with her. This guy had a brown-haired male host, with golden eyes so striking they were almost unhuman.
I had a bad feeling about him from the very start.
Visser Four smiled at her company. " Vissers, this is, er, Salvar Six-Four-Four. He's my assistant here on the planet."
" Hello, Salvar," Visser One said.
( Yeah, hi, ) I grumbled, preoccupied. Why Visser Four would bother to FORMALLY INTRODUCE her ASSISTANT was beyond me.
" Hello, Vissers," Salvar replied. " It is a pleasure to meet you. A pleasure."
He was about to say something else, but Visser Four nudged him in the ribs.
Salvar decided to more carefully choose his words. " Visser Four has told me much of her superiors."
I blinked. It honestly felt as if Visser Four was bringing home her new BOYFRIEND for us to meet or something! And the guy was trying to make a good impression!
" Well, it's always good to know one's superiors," Visser One said.
" Yes," Salvar nodded. He reminded me of someone, somehow. Seemed kind of… geeky?
Visser One returned to her monitoring. I just kind of stood there. From the corner of my eye, I saw Salvar place a hand on Visser Four's shoulder.
" Are you feeling alright?" he asked.
" Yes, fine," she said not-so-strictly. But she looked like she was about to be sick. She was pale and clutching her stomach. " Excuse me, Vissers," Visser Four said to us apologetically before sprinting into the building. Most probably to find a toilet in which to hurl.
Hehe… Just rewards at last for the friends gathering incident… MWAHA!
Ahem.
I looked back at Salvar. For some reason, he really got on my nerves. I can't explain it, I just – I had a feeling, that's all. My instincts didn't trust the guy.
He kept looking back to the building, as if dearly hoping to see his Visser come back outside. Councilor Two could tell he was worried, and, being Councilor Two, he smiled and attempted to reassure him.
" Don't worry about her," the Councilor said warmly. " She's been a bit sick the past couple of days, throwing up and stuff, but she'll be fine. Just a Leeran virus, a lot of Yeerks have been catching them lately."
" Yes," Salvar said distractedly, his gaze riveted on the building.
The moments passed, and Salvar would not stop looking at his watch, or at the sky. His golden eyes reflected impatience and worry. I wondered what the big hurry was… all I know is that I had a really bad feeling about Salvar.
When Visser Four came back outside, looking fresh and healthy again (or at least more so than when she went inside), Salvar stepped up to her and grabbed her arm.
" May I have a short word with you?" he asked.
" Of course," Visser Four said, worry immediately clouding over her face. What was going on? What was happening here that I didn't know about? " I'll be back in a moment, everyone," Visser Four said. Then, she followed Salvar deep into the woods.
I watched them for a long time, and eventually, the curiosity got the best of me. When Visser One and Councilor Two were not looking, I slipped away, and nimbly galloped to the back of the building. In its privacy, I quickly morphed to housefly, and followed Visser Four and Salvar. I don't know why. Like I said, I just had a bad feeling about the entire thing.
It didn't take me long to find them. They were hidden in a patch of trees not far from where I'd spotted Visser One and Councilor Two, two weeks ago. They seemed to be arguing, but their voices were faint from where I hovered. Intent on listening in, I flew downward and landed on a large tree branch. From where I sat now, I could hear and see as clearly as a housefly with a Yeerk's mind could. And that was well enough.
" I must go," the guy Salvar said. He looked around to make sure it was safe… of course, he would never notice the housefly I was, perched onto the thick branch of a Leeran tree and watching the entire scene unfold before my eyes.
" No!" Visser Four yelped, throwing herself into his arms and clinging to him desperately. " You don't have to, just let them fare without you! Who cares about them anyway right? Right?"
Her pained expression brought a mask of sorrow to Salvar's face. He looked into her blue eyes, desperately seeking a solution to their apparent misery.
" I can't," he finally conceded. " I'm too important to them. For me to back out now would constitute an enormous act of treason!"
" Oh, as if you aren't a traitor already!" Visser Four yelled, her voice breaking.
Salvar seemed very uncomfortable. He turned and started to back off. " I can't, Esaren, I can'tafford that if we want this to remain a secret!"
Visser Four ran to stop him, soft sobs escaping her throat now. " I knew this would happen! We both did, but it's too late to back off now! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! What will I do with myself if --" She stopped herself.
Salvar whirled around and grasped her hands roughly. " If!" he exclaimed tearfully. " If what? You can't start thinking like that! I'll make it out, you'll make it out, and we will both live to see each other again, I promise you!"
Tears ran down her cheeks as she gazed at him. He held her hands tightly in his grip, as if refusing to ever let her go. She sobbed freely now. I had never seen a Yeerk Visser succumb to so much emotion. Love and affection were inevitable, of course, but they weren't supposed to be a crucial part of our lives. If a Yeerk's mate or mates die, the Yeerk is supposed to be able to grieve, but quickly move on, forget, and find new mates. But judging by the way Visser Four was acting, almost hysterical, it didn't seem as if that would happen for her anytime soon.
" Just, please --" she pleaded, her face contorted in despair. She jumped into his welcoming arms, and they kissed passionately for a long time, with his hands cradling her tearstained face. When they finally separated, Visser Four watched sadly as he walked into the shelter of the trees, away from her.
" Don't look so sad," he implored. " Please, just smile for me."
She did, she tried, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. " Goodbye," she whispered. " … Just in case."
" Goodbye, Esaren," he said. " I will be seeing you, eventually. I love you."
She mouthed the words back almost inaudibly. Then watched incessantly as he disappeared into the trees.
I didn't see him come back out on the other side. And I guess I never would. But a few minutes later, I saw a kafit bird float high into the sky, out of the trees, toward the battle on the horizon.
It hit me. Very suddenly.
Oh no. I thought. Oh God.
I lifted off that branch and zoomed back toward the building like my life depended on it. And with this mission in the hands of Visser Four, it just might.
---
It seemed very obvious to me that Visser Four was going to let her emotions rule everything else out today.
A fatal mistake. One that may cost thousands of battling Yeerks their lives.
Not that I cared about a bunch of low-ranks. If Visser Four allowed this to progress any further, Visser One, Councilor Two and I would no longer have the necessary guard to protect us on that island. All by her own damn fault.
In other words, I might die.
I. Might die.
Now THAT, Visser Four, is just taking unnecessary risks. She had to be stopped. Quickly.
I quickly demorphed and ran back to the building. There wasn't much time. As soon as I got there, out of breath, Visser One and Councilor Two asked a thousand questions.
" Where WERE you?"
" What the hell are you doing, scouring the island like that?"
" Are you TRYING to get us all killed?"
" Where's Visser Four?"
" Is she okay?"
" And come to think about it, what about that Salvar guy?"
" Visser Three, are you idiotic?"
" What the hell do you think you're doing? What is going ON?"
… They CARE! They really CARE! Oh, I'm so touched…
( Look, will you guys just CALM DOWN? ) I exclaimed, before they could attack me with a pitchfork. ( Okay, I know this will sound strange, but… I want you to stay here. Please, just stay here. Don't get off the island, no matter what. )
They looked at me, eyebrows raised skeptically.
( PLEASE, both of you! ) I exclaimed. ( Just listen to me for once! I know I'm lower-ranking, and that you'll probably get me killed for insubordination tomorrow at sundown, but please just LISTEN. I promise I'll explain everything later. For now, all you need to know is that Salvar is a traitor, and I have to stop Visser Four before she makes the biggest mistake of her life and gets us all killed. Okay? )
Visser One looked at me, shocked. As if she simply couldn't believe that I was looking out for her. I wasn't. All this was to ensure MY survival. But I had to pretend I cared so that the Council wouldn't be all, "Oh, well, we're going to execute you because you didn't protect your superiors." In which case all my survival efforts NOW would be worth absolute SQUAT.
" Visser Three, quit trying to be the big hero!" she exclaimed, stepping up to me. " I don't know what's going on, but I know you are definitely overestimating yourself. You always do."
( Visser One, listen, ) I said. ( I think I know what Visser Four's going to do. I know you're confused, but I can pull this off. )
I pointed to a Bug fighter lifting up over the island and zooming away, top speed, toward the raging battle on the horizon. The sun was setting over the fog now, and it made the air clear just enough to see the Shredder and Dracon beams cast by the Andalite ships and our own army of Yeerk vessels over the huge Leeran continent. The only actual continent they had. The Andalites were severely outnumbered. Maybe three-to-one. They were losing.
I knew exactly who was in that Bug fighter.
( Unless I'm severely mistaken, that's her in there, ) I told Visser One and Councilor Two, who were evidently very confused. ( There is no time for questions. I must act now, before it is too late. )
" But --" Visser One started.
( Don't follow me! ) I exclaimed, spinning to face her with all four eyes. ( STAY HERE! )
She didn't say anything, just watched as I stepped into the cool, clear Leeran water and began to morph. I was going shark. It was the only creature I knew was invincible in these waters. And right now, more than anything else, I needed invincible.
I remembered hearing Visser Four's conversation on the phone two weeks ago, while in fly morph. Hearing her words, it had become apparent to me that Visser Four was, indeed, in love. Very in love, even. At first, I was shocked. Visser Four was one of the most focused Vissers in the Empire. Being so obsessed with the war, I'd just assumed she would live out her life alone, and when it was time to mate, she would mate out of convenience, not affection.
I guess I was very, very wrong.
And it may cost us our lives now.
My morph began, slowly but surely, as I waded into the water. I looked back at Visser One, and at Councilor Two, who was yelling that I must be suicidal or something. But I didn't listen to his protests, of course not. I was determined. And when I set my mind on something, I didn't let myself be talked out of it. Not even by Councilor Two. And Visser One knew that. Was that why she was standing there, watching so silently? Of course. Of course it was.
( I'll be back soon, ) I snapped. ( Not that you care. )
And with that I dove into the water. My morph was complete – I was an Earth shark. I can't name you every attribute they possess. Do I LOOK like a human? No, all I know is that sharks are strong. And whatever Visser Four was doing, this morph was my best bet to stop it. So I powered on.
It was easy to find Visser Four. She'd parked her Bug fighter on a small island barely big enough to hold it. But at least she was closer to the continent. Now, she was leaving herself out in the open, stepping out of her fighter and everything. She stood there defiantly, without a single guard to protect her.
I hadn't expected this. Why would Visser Four be revealing herself like this? Weak and unarmed? Just because "Salvar" was a traitor didn't mean they all were!
I didn't know what she was planning. But she was making sure an Andalite ship, the Ascalin,saw her, high up there in atmosphere. And when they did, she took out her telecommunicator and spoke loudly into it.
" Sub-Visser?" she inquired. " This is Visser Four. Attack. Now."
Then, almost instantly, I heard Dracon beams ring out across the continent. The fire of Shredder beams followed suit, and the continent suddenly burst out in fireworks of light! It was amazing to behold, but I wasn't here to watch the light show. I was here to figure out was Visser Four was doing, and to stop her.
Suddenly, I had a thought. What if Visser Four was trying to get herself captured by the Ascalin, and using the ground battle as a distraction for the ground Yeerks? Yes, that would make sense, if "Salvar" was on the ship… and if she was on the ship, the Yeerks in the air would not hit it! It was a perfect, flawless plan. But how could she be so confident that "SALVAR" would be the one she would talk to once aboard the ship? The others would no doubt not be so merciful of her… There was only one disturbing explanation: "Salvar" had to be one of the more high-ranking Andalites on the ship. One who had direct communication with the ship's captain. That way, they may be able to convince the captain that it may be a good idea to keep Visser Four alive…
I looked at Visser Four. She was smiling at the wonders of her plan, no doubt. She was doing what she felt she had to do. But something was going wrong. Something in her flawless plan had gone wrong.
The Ascalin was not moving toward her. Wasn't going anywhere except down, down, down... It looked like it was crashlanding!
I swam up to Visser Four's island, creeping behind her Bug fighter, out of her sight. There I demorphed, retrieving my Andalite form. Once I was finished, I stepped out from behind the shadows.
( Visser Four, ) I said bitterly.
She spun around and eyed me suspiciously. " Visser Three." she said guardedly. " What are you doing here?"
( That's funny, ) I said, ( I was about to ask you the same question. )
She backed up slowly. " I – I was just --"
( You were just trying to be reunited with your little Andalite "friend", ) I spat.
She gasped and reeled back, almost falling into the water. " How do you know about Salvar?"
( Haha, Visser Four, you make me laugh, ) I said with a smirk. ( I followed you. In fly morph. I saw everything that happened during… during your farewells. )
Visser Four blushed and looked away. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn, and the Ascalin wasn't coming to get her anytime soon. I continued my assault.
( I never thought, Visser Four, that of all people you would be the one to surrender to this fil -- )
" DON'T EVEN SAY IT!" she screamed, out of control. " It's not LIKE that, okay? Do you think I MEANT to fall in love with an Andalite? NO! I DIDN'T! KILL ME IF YOU WANT, I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE!"
She turned around and looked at the Ascalin. It was descending behind Yeerk lines. Very quickly. It only had a few minutes until crashing.
( What? ) a thought-speak voice suddenly rang out from the Ascalin! A public voice! Both Visser Four and I were instantly alert and listening.
( Sir, the controls are frozen! ) another voice said. ( I've been locked out. Attempting to override. Override failing! )
A long pause, then… ( Captain! We are on approach to land behind Yeerk lines! We won't have a prayer! )
Why were they speaking publicly, I wondered? Panic, of course. They didn't care who heard them, they probably weren't even aware everyone could!
I looked at Visser Four and saw that she was smirking. It hit me then why. They were landing behind Yeerk lines! And it was probably all "Salvar's" doing! Her plan was working. All except for getting captured by the Ascalin, her plan was working.
There was a long pause as the ship descended. We didn't hear a thing except for Shredder and Dracon fire. We stood on the island, listening, listening…
Then, suddenly, a new voice… A voice I recognized somehow. ( Ah, my good aristh, ) it said drivenly, almost evilly. ( I don't want to take the chance of injuring you. Visser Four would be very upset if I injured the creatures who have been causing Visser Three so much trouble on Earth. )
Visser Four and I both had COMPLETELY different reactions to that last comment.
Visser Four sighed and smiled in relief, happy that her lover had everything under control.
As for me, I was ANGRY!
( The Andalite bandits! ) I exclaimed. ( They're HERE! Why, HOW are they here! )
Visser Four looked at me and smiled. " Don't worry, Samilin will capture them for you."
WHO now? I gaped at Visser Four, dumbfounded. ( SAMILIN? You mean like, CAPTAIN Samilin? CAPTAIN OF THE ASCALIN SAMILIN? )
( Vissers Three and Four are such close friends, ) Samilin's voice continued, divulging a VERY UNTRUE fact. ( Just remain calm. It will all be over in a moment. And you will all be… guests… of the Yeerk Empire. )
Visser Four practically started jumping up and down like a schoolgirl at these words. As the Ascalin descended, Visser Four seemed to be hearing something else. She suddenly took out her telecom and said clearly, " Prepare formation."
On the continent, I saw Hork-Bajir lining up in a circle. From where they stood, they seemed to be surrounding the exact location where the Ascalin would land.
I sighed. Visser Four's plan had worked to perfection. And I had been powerless to stop it.
But just then… when I thought all hope was lost…
( Esa -- ) Samilin's voice started, alarmed, but was abruptly cut off.
" Samilin!" Visser Four cried.
( What's going on? ) I wondered publicly.
" I don't know! I don't know!"
I galloped over to restrain her, my tail wrapped around her stomach, before she could do something stupid. I forced her to watch, helpless, as the first voice rang out, ( Computer! Emergency override, switch controls to manual! )
But it was too late for him, too late for Visser Four, too late for anyone.
The Ascalin crashed to the ground. Loudly.
" Oh, my God," Visser Four gasped. " It wasn't supposed to crash that hard. Samilin was supposed to override long ago!"
I glared at her. Then, I looked at the destruction. All or most of the surrounding Hork-Bajir-Controllers had no doubt been killed by the impact. But as I watched, new Hork-Bajir ran to take the place of their fallen comrades. They surrounded the ship just as well as the first ones had.
We waited for what seemed like an eternity, on that island. Forever passed before we heard another voice. The first one again.
( To all warriors and crew of the Ascalin. ) it said. ( This is the tactical officer. The captain is dead. )
" NO!" Visser Four shrieked. " He is not dead! They are just saying that so they can take charge of the situation! They've tied him up or something, no, no, no, no!"
She wrestled me to get out of my restrictive grasp, but I stood my ground. She wouldn't get away from me if I had anything to say about it!
( We are surrounded, ) the tactical officer continued. ( No chance of escape. Nothing to do but inflict the maximum damage on the Yeerks. In three minutes I will begin firing all the ship's weapons. The Shredder flashback will cause the ship to explode. ) A short pause, then, ( Perform the ritual of death, my friends. Thank you for your service to this ship. You die in the service of the People, defending freedom. )
I could see that the Hork-Bajir and humans on the ground were also hearing this. They looked around, alarmed, scared… but there was no way out. It would happen. All by Visser Four's damn fault.
Then suddenly, a thousand thought-speak voices echoed the Andalite ritual of death. I heard them chant as Visser Four sobbed and struggled to escape me.
( I am the servant of the People, ) they all said. ( I am the servant of my prince. I am the servant of honor. My life is not my own, not when the People have need of it. )
" Oh, God, no!" Visser Four screamed. " Samilin! SAMILIN!"
( My life is given for the People, for my prince, and for my honor. )
The Shredder beams started firing. I grabbed Visser Four and ran behind the Bug fighter for shelter. But from where we were, we could still see. We could still see the Ascalin.
I watched as the Ascalin exploded with a deafening sound, killing so many people, Yeerk and Andalite, on the site. I knew Visser Four had been watching too, and I heard her despaired screams and sobs as she cried for her dead lover. If he had not been dead a while ago, he certainly would be now.
I let Visser Four go as she cried for Samilin. No use restraining her now, there was nothing more she could do. I watched her as she fell to the ground and screamed in anguish over and over again. Then, she stood up and took something out of the bag she'd been carrying. I slowly stepped toward her, wondering what it was… and she brought a Dracon beam, set on level six, to her own head!
I sprinted forward, and with a swipe of my tail, knocked the weapon out of her hand before she could fire. I grabbed her again and brought her into the Bug fighter. I started the engine – I was driving this time – and we were off. Away from the battle. Away from the explosion. And, for Visser Four's sake, away from her lover's dead body.
---
We got back to Visser Four's base island in due time. When I set foot on the ground, I immediately got the eerie feeling that something had gone wrong. And as I looked around, I saw that Councilor Two and Visser One were nowhere in sight.
Probably out in the woods somewhere smooching again, I thought to myself. But still, I had a bad feeling about this.
Visser Four was hysterical. I'd left her in the Bug fighter, locking all controls to anything but thought-spoken sounds. She couldn't move, couldn't injure herself, couldn't even exit the ship. I controlled all that now.
The first place I looked was outside the main building. I walked around its perimeter and found nothing. I made my way back to the doors and noticed, for the first time, that there were no longer Hork-Bajir guards. That was strange… Intrigued, I opened the doors and found… Councilor Two! He was lying sprawled on the ground, unconscious, with blood leaving a puddle on the ground under his head.
The two Hork-Bajir guards were here as well, also unconscious and tied up. One had sheaths on his blades. The other was simply decapitated.
What in the UNIVERSE had happened here?
And where was Visser One?
I ran back to the doors. But before I could make it, I heard something. A low whisper, behind me…
" Visser… Three…"
( Councilor Two! ) I ran back and knelt beside him. ( What the hell happened? )
" Andalites…" he whispered haltingly, tiredly, " came in and… assaulted us. They didn't know I was… Councilor Two, they… thought I was just a low-rank."
( Okay, okay, ) I said, not wanting him to talk himself to death. ( Relax. Where's Visser One? )
His expression contorted into one of despair. " They… I should have told them who… who I was… Maybe they'd… have taken me instead… Oh Edriss, oh… I'm sorry…"
I looked at him for a moment. No. Oh, no. They couldn't have –
I spun around and ran back through the doors. I looked up just in time to see an Andalite fighter zoom out of the island trees and high into the sky. It sped up quickly through the atmosphere of planet Leera.
( Oh, lords, NO! ) I yelled.
There was no time to lose! I morphed human as quickly as possible – I needed strong arms, and I needed them NOW. In mid-morph, I hobbled along to the main building, swung the doors open, and ran to the Hork-Bajir.
( Alright, you're coming with us. ) I said. I needed a good guard in case Visser Four went haywire while I was trying to maneuver the Bug fighter. I untied the Hork-Bajir and told him to get into the fighter and watch Visser Four.
" Thank you, Visser, thank you!" the Hork-Bajir said, and ran outside as quickly as he could.
I ran to Councilor Two and picked him up in my strong, newly acquired human arms. He weighed a god damn ton!
( WHAT is the Council FEEDING you? ) I muttered to no one as I did my best to haul him outside and into the Bug fighter.
I got him safely into the fighter, alive and conscious, and as he lay silently, as Visser Four cried, as the Hork-Bajir stood quietly at attention, I motored the Bug fighter out of there, off the island, and on the trail of the Andalite fighter that had Visser One.
Whatever you may think of me right now, I wasn't being some big hero. I hadn't been a hero, ever, not today, not my whole life. I was just doing what I had to do. And right now, I had to save the highest-ranking military officer in the Yeerk Empire from the Andalites before she told them any military secrets.
Would Visser One do that?
I didn't know. All I knew was that I was the only one, at the moment, who could stop her from doing it. I was doing what I had to do. I had no choice but to save her.
… Or did I?
Until my return,
Esplin 9466.
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Thanks for reading. I had an ENORMOUS amount of fun writing this chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed it! Also, some inconsistencies with the plot of Animorphs #18: The Decision are INTENTIONAL. If you spot one, feel free to let me know so that I can tell you whether or not they were intentional, and why.
The wonderful pairing concept of Visser Four and Samilin belongs to MsTria. She created it, I'm just using it in my story. Thanks very much, MsTria! Please be sure to check out her V4/Samilin, "The Traitor", when it comes out.
This chapter was named after a song of the same name by Sarah McLachlan, which fits so well with this chapter it could honestly have been written for it. Other songs that fit with this chapter are Adia by Sarah (made me cry thinking of the chap), and Broken by Seether and Amy Lee. (I don't own any of these songs)
Anyway, thanks a mill for reading, and please REVIEW!