Chapter seven

Alexis Alexander

Zurich, Switzerland

1245 Hours Local

There was something… different about Natasha today. At first, I didn't know what it was, but it WAS obvious to anyone who cared to look.

Her face twitched a couple of times, and it seemed that for no reason at all, she punched the table, decided if she should pull her hand back, and then did. In class, she mashed her pencil onto her paper so hard, it broke, and she had to get up and re-sharpen it.

Once classes were over for the day, I, as usual, walked alongside with her back to the hotel.

"Hey Tash," I said, "It seemed like you weren't all there in class today. What happened? Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Alexis. It's just a nervous tick I get when I'm nervous." Strange… it seemed as though she had a slight hint of a German accent in her voice.

"What made you nervous?"

"I was… kidnapped before school began, and I barely managed to get away."

"Whoa! You REALLY need to take the day off now, Tash. Having your brother go back to the War is bad enough, but THIS?"

"Look Alex, I'll be fine, don't worry so much about me. If I were you though, I'd watch my back."

Okay, something was definitely wrong. NOBODY called me 'Alex' if they knew what was good for them. I may look weak, looks can be deceiving. Somebody called me 'Alex', I usually hit them so hard, and they didn't remember what happened. The only thing they COULD recall was that they had been in a fight.

But Natasha was my roommate and Best Friend! She should have known better! I let it go this time by saying: "Don't call me 'Alex'." She apologized, and her accent was back to its usual Russian tone.

Once we got back to the hotel, I told Natasha that I needed some homework help from Leang, and went to her hotel room alone.

Knocking on the door, I saw that Kassad was already there as well, and I fell back a couple of steps, but I got over it, and said: "Who are you?"

He smiled, and said: "My name is Kassad. I was the one who stole the cube, and I also have the powers you have. I've been watching you, but don't worry; I won't harm you in any way."

I glared at him, and then said to Leang: "Have you noticed Natasha acting weird lately? Because a few minutes ago, she called me 'Alex', and during class, she seemed a little… weird."

"Weird? How so?"

"Well, for one thing, she got kidnapped, and she didn't decide to go back to the hotel and take the day off, even AFTER her brother left for the war again. There was also the time in class where she'd twitch suddenly, and then pretend as though nothing had happened."

"And she did seem a bit irritated sometimes, didn't she?" Leang said, then 'hmm'ed. She thought for a second, then said: "Kassad, can you follow Natasha and see what's going on with her? Although, don't let her see you. Can you do that?"

He laughed and said: "can I follow her without being seen? Please, does the desert have sand? Of course I can!" and with that, he left the room… by going out the window.

Now, before I met Kassad, I would have thought that was insane, but now… well, I went to the window to make sure he was all right, and I saw him actually climbing down the outside of the multi-story hotel by using the mortar space in the brickwork and being aided by some kind of micro-repel device of some kind.

I lost sight of him shortly afterwards as his clothes seemed to blend into the night.

Three days later

Natasha Romanov

Yeerk Pool

0445 Hours Local

She needed to feed, and before we went to the Yeerk Pool, she told me exactly what I'd see, and hear down there. She still hadn't found where I had hidden the Morphing cube though, which was a good thing, but I didn't know how long that would last. She kept assuring me that she'd find it, but I had the feeling that somebody moved it on me, and didn't bother to tell me about it.

Once I/we got to the Yeerk Pool, she steered my head around to look at all the sights in this underground chasm. There were people, and aliens alike in cages while Taxxons, massive centipede-like worms, moving around, expanding the Pool, along with the heavy machinery, and the screams… those still haunt me to this day.

Azalel laughed at my helplessness, and said telepathically: So, what do you think of my home, human? Do you like it?

Go to hell, you foul worm! I shot back, now fully aware that there was nothing I could do.

Defiant to the end, are we? she sneered. You must realise that there's no hope you anymore. I've taken over your body, and soon your species will fall.

You need to feed every three days, so as far as I'm concerned, that's all the hope I'll need.

She scoffed, and went up the ramp for her feeding. Two guards grabbed me, and forced me down, my head in the sludge, and she plopped out of my ear, and started to feed. The second she was out, I was back in control, but even freed from the Yeerk, I STILL couldn't do anything! The alien guards were simply too strong for me to fight against.

I was thrown in a cage, just like everybody else, and I sat there, crying. After I while, I heard in my head: sorry Natasha, but you're one of THEM now. it sounded like Leang! I looked around, but all I saw was off in the distance near an entrance was a flash of white fur, and then she was gone. Leaving me alone. All alone.

Nobody to rescue me, nobody to help me, nobody to pull me out of the nightmare I was in. I continued to cry even as I was dragged out of the cage and reinfested. Once she was back in control, I heard: so, human, did you miss me? Oh, no wait! Don't answer that! I'll just search your memories and see for myself!

And she did. Just because she COULD. Once she was finished, she laughed at me again, got my body cleaned up from the sludge, and made her way back up to the surface.

Once she was there, she was about to go out of the main building (cleverly disguised as a community center or something) but just as she was leaving, she heard: "excuse me miss, you aren't by any chance Natasha Romanov, General Alexander Romanov's daughter?"

She turned, saw three people who looked to be quite strong, and said: "Da, that's me."

The three moved so suddenly that neither I nor she could react, and by the time we fully knew what was happening, the foul taste of chloroform covered my/her tongue, and she was knocked out.

I was still around, more or less, but even with her gone, I still couldn't do anything. The last thing I saw before her eyes closed was the Silver Eagle insignia that identified the leader as a Colonel of the Allied Special Forces division. Probably US Navy SEALs from their build and speed.