August 17, 1999 10:50 PM
I opened my eyes. My head hurt like a motherfucker. My whole body ached. My eyes focused.
"Mmmph?" I tried to ask. I was gagged.
"Hello, Lover."
My memory returned to me. Stephanie.
She shot me.
SHE'S ONE OF THEM!!!!!
I was half-morphed to lion before I was felt low-power dracon beams. Agony filled my half-morphed body.
You . . . . I said. I was handcuffed. My legs tied together. I was in some sort of Van. There was some sort of flimsy cage around me. It had dracon beams and read circles that guessed were sensors.
"Oh you can speak now. Damn." Stephanie said, annoyed. "I wouldn't try to move from that cage. You'll find yourself in a world of hurt."
I'm already there. I said. When were you taken? Right when they lost me, or did they wait til I was a confirmed accomplice to the Andalites?
Stephanie shook her head, coyly. "For such a smart boy, you're pretty stupid! You went and spilled your guts about your friends, the Andalites, never knowing the truth. You would have led me right to them. I'd have captured them all and became a real sub-visser, if it weren't for my pool sister Aftran three-nine-five, known to you as Jennie Vo. Ah well, one would have been enough. I guess I was being over ambitious. Always my flaw."
Stephanie put one hand on my half-feline head. She must have turned off the Dracon Sensors. I guess she figured I wouldn't hurt her.
She was right, but I still shook my head away from her.
"Don't you love me anymore?"
You're not the same person.
"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Davie. I am the exact same person I have always been."
What the fuck are you talking about?
"I mean, that I am as I was when you met me. When you asked me out. When you kissed me. When you told me you loved me. When you left me and when you returned to me. The exact same person."
I realized what this meant. No.
"Yes." Stephanie laughed. "By the way, guess who's driving the van."
I turned around and I saw through a little window the driver. He turned around.
Jason. "Hey, Buddy. Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble?"
Why?
"Your father, silly. It would have been wonderful to have an agent for the NSA in our ranks. It would make tapping your primitive government so much easier, but in order to get to him we had to get through another way. You.
"Jason. Me. All a ploy to get your father. Than you move and our entire plan is wasted. So we figure, 'Ok. Time for a new assignment, they'll move us into something better and give our bodies to some Gedd-controllers who've been behaving themselves,' but no! You have to start trouble with the Andalites and now Argul and I have been stuck here in Shit Haven waiting for you to make your move. What the hell took you so long?!"
It was all a ploy? What? I stammered.
"You're still stuck on that? Seriously, David, why would a girl like this fall for a guy like you?"
I was still half-morphed. Wasn't under the influence of any drugs. I don't know how I did it.
But somehow, within three seconds I was a kodiak bear with one claw stuck in the wall, and another swatting at Stephanie.
I barely felt the high-powered Dracon beam that sent me reeling back destroying the Dracon sensor-cage.
When my consciousness collected I found myself to be one burnt bear. My torso hairless and smoldering. My body aching all over. Pieces of broken ropes and handcuffs everywhere.
Along with pieces of my heart.
"Hurrrrroaarrrrrr!" I shouted.
"What's happening back there?" Jason asked.
"I don't know how you did that, but do it again, and you're Teddy Grahams!" Stephanie shouted holding the dracon beam.
Tell me your name. Your Real Name.
"Aftran three-two-six. Sub-Visser five-hundred-nine. A courtesy rank. If I were treated like a real Sub-visser, I wouldn't be stuck in this stupid body waiting for the Morph-Human to show up."
I heard of someone else by that name.
"My pool sister, Aftran nine-four-two, most likely. We think the little bitch has made a deal with the Andalites. She's started some rebellion in the Yeerk ranks. All from the confines of the Yeerk Pool."
The Yeerk rebellion exists. Maybe there's hope. Maybe there's hope after they take me, and find out all about Cassie, Tobias, Aximili, Marco, Jake, and Rachel. They'll all be taken.
Something hard knocked the van side.
It wasn't me. I said.
"Aftran," Jason said. "There's something attacking the van. Oh shit, it's an elephant!"
"The Andalites!" Stephanie yelled.
Something big landed on the roof. A Gorilla tapped on the Driver's side window.
May I please see your license and registration? said the Gorilla. No? I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step out. Marco, the Gorilla, punched threw the window, grabbed Jason, threw him out on to the road and climbed in the driver's seat. David, are you all right?
Debatable. My ex-girlfriend is holding a Dracon Beam to me and you're driving.
Fwapp! The back doors to the Van swung open. An Elephant threw an Andalite in the van with her trunk, then ran into the nearby woods.
"Filthy Andalite."
FWAPP! With a simple motion of the flat of his tail blade, Stephanie was out cold.
David, are you all right? Aximili asked me.
No, but physically I am fine.
A wolf ran up and jumped into the van. David?
Cassie?
Cassie looked at Stephanie. Is that-?
Yes.
I'm very sorry, David. Cassie said nuzzling her nose into my neck.
Guys, we have a problem. Tobias said. We have a lot of vans coming at you from behind and a blockade in front of you.
Helicopters? Jake asked.
Yes. No Yeerk ships. That's weird. Tobias said.
I felt the truck swerve.
We're surrounded. Tobias said. I don't think the helicopter sees-AAAHHH!
Tobias!! Rachel shouted.
You wasted your time, Cassie. I said. Why did you guys bother to save me?
Marco came in with a burnt but morphing Tobias and said, Hey! We can't let someone who knows who we are get infested. Bad for security. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Thanks, Donkey Kong.
Anytime, Pooh.
Tobias was in Hork-Bajir Morph. Ax had left to join Jake and Rachel in warding off controllers. Tobias and Marco each grabbed one of my arms and lifted me up. I was one hurt and burnt bear.
Dude, can't you demorph? Marco said.
Leave me alone. I pouted.
David, we're getting you out of here. Cassie said.
The bitch. The conniving bitch!!
They've got us surrounded, but they're not doing anything. Jake said.
Look, Aximili said, some one is standing up. Someone with a voice amplifier cone.
It's called a megaphone, Ax. Rachel said.
"David Hunting! Come on out." said the voice. I recognized it. My father. James David Hunting.
No, Covar One-Nine-Nine.
Bite me, Covar!
"Son, it will all be easier if you come with us. Quit being a tool for the Andalites and come and be a part of something great."
Don't call me that! I shouted.
David, don't talk back, it'll just get you riled up. Tobias said.
"Come on Son. Your mother and I miss you."
Oh, shit. He's going to freak out, isn't he? Marco said.
He's re-growing his fur and his burn scars are going away. That can't be good. Tobias said.
David, just chill, don't do--
WHOAAAAAAAA! Tobias and Marco said simultaneously. I'm sure seeing a gorilla and a hork-bajir fly out of the back of a van was humorous, but I was in the middle of one of my fits.
I ran out of the van, as one seriously pissed off bear.
"Hooooraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I roared.
A Challenge??!! Nobody challenges me.
A rushed the human with the megaphone. I felt several pricks on my skin before another human threw himself in my path.
With one whack of my paw I had left him sprawling.
Covar hid behind a police car.
Covar!!!! I shouted. Get back here! Covar!!!!
I easily pushed the car out of the way and into some more human-controllers. I felt more pinpricks and I started to get dizzy. A noticed an Elephant and Rhino knocking human-controllers out of the way. An Andalite and a Hork-bajir. A Gorilla and a Wolf. They were all fighting random controllers. I was only after one.
It's all your fault! It's all your fault, Father! You couldn't have just left me alone!!!! I shouted.
I pounced and caught him. He fell on his stomach and turned over on his back. He flailed his arms to protect himself.
You. It's all your fault, you were always fucking up my life!
David, stop! Cassie shouted.
It was all fake. All of it. Just to get to you. Well they have you now. WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?????!!!!!! "Hroooooorraarrrrr!"
I saw the scars where I slashed him in lion morph. I spared him that time. I also promised to free him. I would kill Covar and free my father.
Well, I could still do one of those. I drew back my paw to strike.
David, STOP!
Fuck off, Cassie!
David, I know you. You can't do this! You're not a murderer!
You don't know SHIT!!!! I've lost everything, Cassie. EVERYTHING!!! Do you realize what this means??? I'm not talking about material shit, I'm talking about stuff like family. Love. Shit you and the others take for granted.
Tobias. Ax. They've lost everything too.
BULLSHIT!! Aximili's parents are alive, well, and free. Tobias, well, he has Rachel, for what that's worth. I don't have anything. It's one thing to lose everything, but to find out that what you lost, you never really had . . . To find out the thing that kept you going was all a FUCKING FAKE . . . You'd be surprised what I could do!
I lifted my paw for the kill.
Yes, you could, David. I believe you can. Cassie said. But is it the right choice? Would it make things better? Do you really want to cross that line.
There is no line. I said defiantly. I raised my paw.
I put it down. Covar signed in relief. He started to get up.
I pushed him back down. Know this, Covar One-Nine-Nine. You will die someday. By my design. Know that despite my actions in the past, your death comes without malice or ill feelings against you as a person. To James David Hunting, my father: I will fulfill my vow to free your from your yeerk keeper. When that happens, be sure that it will be the last time we ever speak. I knocked him out.
I looked around. Several controllers lay unconscious. My friends do go work. Marco had remorphed to Osprey. Tobias had demorphed. Rachel and Jake were still bullet-ridden pachyderms. Aximili was a harrier.
It's time to go home, David. Jake said.
A car started. I turned my head to see the Van coming at me. I saw the Driver.
Stephanie. I said. The van came at me. Thirty . . forty . . fifty miles per hour. I was tempted to just let her hit me.
David! Aximili shouted.
Get out of the way! Marco yelled.
I did something no bear would ever do. (Neither would any sane person.)
I circled around and hit the van broadside with my shoulder.
I broke my shoulder in the process, but it sent Stephanie swerving off the road.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I heard her scream. She crashed into a tree and her screams fell silent.
I demorphed. I heard sirens approaching. How did they know to come? They were all ready on their way. Some were Yeerks, I'm sure.
"Now, we go home."
Two Chee drove FedEx Trucks from Atlanta to New York. We were in the trucks until we got home. I slept most of the way. Cassie and Aximili were in the car I was in. I didn't talk to them. I didn't talk to anyone.
Aximili and I flew into our scoop at about noon, the next day. I was withdrawn and I hadn't spoken to anyone.
Aximili was about to go to the tree he uses to sleep. He turned one stalk eye to me.
You haven't lost everything, David. Not everything. was all he said.
I didn't answer back. I laid down in my bed and tried to sleep. My brain wouldn't let me. The sun was too bright.
After I knew Aximili was asleep, I spoke for the first time in several hours.
"Ayla?"
"Yes, David? How was your trip?"
I didn't answer her. "Access patient records at Peach Haven Memorial Hospital. Search for Stephanie Gimble."
"Stephanie Gimble. Admitted on August 18, 1999, 1:16 A.M. Severe concussion. Hairline skull fracture. Compound fractures in both legs. Three broken ribs."
"Chance of survival?"
"84%" Ayla announced. She seemed to waver if that's possible for a machine. "I'm very sorry, David."
"I didn't know you could feel pity."
"Not pity. Regret."
"It isn't your fault Ayla."
"Yes, I figure a 98.6% chance you would have left to meet Stephanie without my assistance." she said, sounding like the machine she was. "Still though, I am very sorry. Would you like me to update you on Stephanie's status?"
She would survive. I thought about it.
"No."