Chapter Seven
(YEERK BLADE SHIP COMING AROUND! RED ALERT! RED ALERT!)
"Oh, will you just shut up?" I muttered, still in shock. The constant scream of thought-spoken sirens was giving me a headache, and that was a weakness I could not afford to have.
The ship that opposed me was lacked earthly description. A blade ship, similar to Visser One's, yet so much more powerful. There was no way that my tiny little fighter could stand even a chance against it.
Ax! my mind called desperately. But what could he do? He was… he was…
He was here!
On that ship!
What?
In my confusion, I became aware of a red light blinking steadily on the console. That meant I was being hailed, I recalled.
Hesitantly, I pressed the button below it, and jumped back as the screen exploded with a holographic projection of a human controller.
"Uh… hi?" I said. "I come in peace?"
He laughed. "So you are the commander of the most powerful fighter in the Andalite fleet. I almost feel sorry for you. A human girl, incapable of defending herself. Tell me, how did you manage to steal such a ship?"
Most powerful… What? What was he talking about?
"That's for me to know and you to find out," I replied lamely. I had never been good with confrontations.
He shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "Trust me, we will."
"Who's we?" I asked idiotically. Cassie! Are you asking for suicide?
He smiled widely. "'We' are those who follow the One," he informed me solemnly.
The One… It sounded so familiar…
The One!
My eyes widened. The Ellimist had talked about the One. He was… he was Crayak's creature. He was the guy who had captured Ax.
An unquenchable anger rose in me suddenly. He had stolen my friends from me, had stolen my life. There was no way anyone was going to get away with that.
I decided to play dumb. "Okay, fine then. The One. Who the heck is the One?"
His tranquil smile grew even wider, if possible. "I think you know, Cassie the Animorph."
I froze. No one called me that anymore! No one. Who was this guy?
"Cassie, the killer with a conscience. Kill them, then cry over them," he goaded darkly. My eyes inexplicably filled with tears. What was wrong with me?
Ax…
Think! Who had said that before?
Crayak. The Drode.
Ax…
You idiot! Concentrate, think, now, when your life depends on it. I needed to… needed to…
What would Jake do?
Jake!
I forced a twisted smile upon my face. "Yeah, that's me," I said. "Wanna make somethin' of it?"
Schoolyard taunts. Yet somehow, they managed to force a reaction from him.
"What did you say?" he asked incredulously.
I hid a triumphant grin. So, I was getting somewhere. "You heard me. I am in control of the most powerful ship in the Andalite fleet, and I know how to work it. I am Cassie the Animorph. I can and will destroy you if necessary. Do not provoke me." I informed him dangerously. I had never been that great an actress, but somehow, I had managed to convince him that I was not afraid.
I'll make you proud, Jake, I vowed silently. He won't see past my bluff.
His expression turned sinister. "Of course," he said, and then the screen went blank.
All I wanted to do after that was to collapse with sheer terror. But I had no idea how advanced their technology was. Maybe they were watching me right now, regarding my every move, searching for weakness.
I allowed an ironic smile to touch my lips. Hanging around Marco so much has made you paranoid, Cassie, I thought. Stupid alien technology, anyway.
TSSSEEEEEEEWWWW!!!
I fell to the deck, hands covering my ears. "Dang it!" I muttered, climbing to my feet.
Oh, man, you have provoked me, I thought irritably. You people really need to learn some human etiquette.
"Okay, 'Most Powerful Ship in the Andalite Fleet'," I said, speaking to the console. "Kick butt or bust."
I ignored the fact that I could easily envision Rachel saying the same thing and took the joystick in my sweaty hand. Squeezed. Watched as the brilliant light splayed across the other ship in a flash of fire.
TSSSSSSEEEEEWWWW!!!
That rocked it. The Yeerk ship swayed to the left, one of its engines destroyed. Good or bad? I wondered. Was I doing the right thing?
Was this how Jake always felt?
Yeah. Yeah, this was exactly what Jake felt.
And I had pushed him over the edge.
TSSSEEEEEEEWWWWW!!!!
Ax!
A frown formed on my face as I concentrated harder than I had in my life. Ax! I called silently, knowing without knowing that somehow, he could hear me, that he was there, on that ship. Alive.
Ax! Come on, where are you?
Ax!
Ca-Ca…
I wanted to jump right out of my skin. Alive! He was A! L! I! V! E!
Ax? I whispered, afraid that I would lose him. His "voice" was so faint…
…ss-ss…
Yeah, that's it, I encouraged. I almost collapsed with relief. That familiar thought-speech voice was like balm to an open wound.
And he was alive!
Ca…ss…ie…
Yes! Ax, that's it!
Cassie?
Ax, are you all right? Where are you?
I-I don't know. It's so dark… Cassie, you should not have come.
No. No, don't talk about that. I'm here, and you can't do anything about it, I stated firmly.
Obviously.
I grinned. Then, in a rush, my mind returned to the present.
The other ship was coming around. Preparing to fire.
And Ax was on it.
What do I do? I panicked.
Cassie, listen to me. You need to fire if you want to save yourself, Ax's Voice whispered in my mind.
I don't want to save myself, I argued. I want to save you!
No, Cassie. Leave, please. I cannot stand to lose another friend to him.
I heard the naked grief in that Voice and fought against it, knowing that this time, I could not give in. You're not gonna lose me. I'm getting you out of there.
No, Cassie! Please!
My chest caved. This situation was far too familiar.
Ronnie!
Ax, I need to save you, I said, remembering something the Ellimist told me. If I don't, I'm going to go insane. Literally. Do you really want that?
His confusion and shock were plain. What are you talking about? Cassie?
If I can get you out of there, I'll explain, I said desperately. Ax, help me!
Help me!
All at once, I felt a rush of warmth entering my mind.
Ax? What's happening?
I'm helping you.
How?
I… do not know…
The human controller appeared on the screen so suddenly I just about jumped into the roof.
"Cassie the Animorph. Surrender yourself to the One."
"What happens if I refuse?" I asked stupidly, grasping at straws.
He smiled sadistically. "It is of no consequence. Either way, you will be assimilated into the One."
"You might as well say 'Resistance is futile'," I muttered, not intending for him to hear.
He did anyway. "Perhaps," he said. Then he was gone.
Ax, who is the One, anyway?
His weary answer was instantaneous. The One is a being of immense power, a being created by Crayak to assimilate entire worlds into itself, so that the Ellimist cannot fight back with his own army. The One does not seem to understand, however, that it is being used, and will eventually be destroyed.
So how does that help us?
I do not know.
Have you been 'assimilated'?
He couldn't even nod. Yes.
What about the others? Are they here, too?
Yes, they are here, he replied softly, with raw grief slicing through his Voice.
Can we talk to them?
No. He seemed to frown inwardly. I am still at loss at how I am communicating with you. For a long time, the only being I have spoken with is the One.
I felt sadness well in me at his predicament. No one to talk to, when speaking was the only way for an Andalite to express his feelings. So hopelessly lost and confused he had lost all sense of time and simply drifted, in constant pain.
We're going to get you out, Ax, I said determinedly.
His invisible smile was sardonic. You can try.
Suddenly, I felt an intense pain at the back of my head, like a thousand tiny needles were poking me, injecting me with some dangerous, illegal drug.
Ax! What's happening?
His Voice was frightened. He's attempting to assimilate you! Fight him, Cassie! Fight him!
The pain grew steadily worse. I-I can't! Help me, Ax!!
Despair radiated from him. I'm trying! Cassie, I'm not strong enough! He's still in control of me!
Help me, Ax! Oh, God, please stop this!
It was like I was drowning in pain. I was being violated. The One was within my mind, within my thoughts! He was reading me, from every horribly painful incident I had endured throughout my life to the precious times spent with Jake or Ronnie.
He would find out about the Ellimist!
"No," I whispered, though how I was still capable of speech, I had no idea.
I fought him with everything I had, and still it wasn't enough. Help me, AX! I screamed.
I-I can't! Oh, no, CASSIE!
Help me, Ax, I whispered. I was losing.
No! I couldn't lose! I had everything to lose!
Cassie! Ax screamed, so terribly frightened it was affecting my ability to concentrate.
"No," I repeated quietly. My strength was being drained from me. I was blacking out…
No!
And suddenly, Ax was there, at my side, fighting the One with all his strength. All our strength.
You! gasped the One.
Surprise, Ax replied.
There was no way the One could fight our combined strength. It was too unexpected, too early in his battle to conquest the universe. Gradually, I felt him fading from my mind.
And was faced with another presence, almost directly on top of me.
"Oh!" I breathed, shocked.
It was Ax!
He stumbled back, pale with hunger and exhaustion. (Cassie!)
And suddenly he was enveloped in a warm human embrace.
(Cassie, I-)
"I missed you, Ax," I whispered.
He hesitated, then slowly, awkwardly put his small arms around me. (I… have missed you also, Cassie,) he said wonderingly.
I realized how uncomfortable he felt and drew back, not understanding how I knew this. His facial expression was… well, it was Andalite.
He wobbled a little as my arms came back from around him, as if he were dizzy.
Of course, I realized. He hadn't had even a body for so long; of course he was going to be a little clumsy.
(Cassie, I…) he began. (Cassie…)
He pitched forward suddenly, back into my arms, scaring the hell out of me.
Exhaustion. He had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
As I was on the verge of doing myself.
Cautiously, I half-dragged the large Andalite over to the sleeping area, where I dropped him none to gently to the bed.
I fell asleep virtually on top of him shortly after.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
And the two shall meet!
All right, maybe I should have waited a little longer, wait for more reviews, leave the five people who actually read my junk in suspense for a little while...
But sorry, I couldn't wait.
Um... here, I really must insist that the few readers I have review, because I tend to suck at writing action scenes, so I would like a little feed back on this chapter.
Anyway! Hope you enjoyed :D