July 10, 2000 8:30 PM
Tobias
Like many stupid things, this was all because of a girl. A girl that David loved. A girl that broke his heart. David had survived the heartbreak, and he was content to just let it rot, never to think on her again.
But she had to enter his life again. Because of that, we all had to suffer. The Animorphs. The Hork-Bajir. Even Visser Three.
My fellow animorphs struggled to understand what David was going through, but they couldn't figure it out. They figured their inability was due to none of them having experienced romantic heartbreak before.
Which isn't entirely true: Rachel and I have strong feelings for each other, and our unique . . . . situation has led to a little heartbreak on both our sides. But it wasn't heartbreak that made me come to some understanding of David's mindset.
It was torture. The way he gets unnerved when someone mentions Stephanie is how I feel when someone mentions Sub-Visser Fifty-One.
Taylor.
It was different. Taylor hurt my body and mind. Stephanie hurt his heart, but the end result was the same.
Stephanie made David feel weak and powerless, and that is why David is doing what he's doing. David is proving to the yeerks and by extension the known galaxy that he's strong and powerful.
Once he's convinced the whole galaxy, maybe then he could convince himself.
But until then David had turned us into his puppets. Players in his theatre of dementia. It would be horrible enough if we just had to watch this showcase.
But he expected me to participate. He expected me to kill Visser Three.
"We are patched into the Yeerk-Net." Said the computerized feminine voice we assumed was Ayla, some possibly sentient computer program David made. "Ready to broadcast."
David morphed into a black teenager. He had used this morph once before to crash Marco's father's wedding. For whatever reason, David's morph was wearing a white tuxedo.
"It's showtime." He said to us.
"Broadcasting in 5," Ayla said. "4, 3, 2, 1"
Lights hit David. "Your regularly scheduled program will not be seen tonight, so we may bring you this special execution: The David Hunting Show! Simul-cast in Galard!" David announced as he made the Vulcun Salute.
"Our guests tonight: To my left, the mighty and powerful, Defenders of the Earth, Scourge to the Yeerks, my former slave masters and current temporary slaves, the Andalite Bandits!"
Lights illuminated us. I noticed lights also illuminated Toby and her warriors. Was David trying to tell the Yeerk Empire that Toby and her warriors were actually Andalites?
"And entering our studio:" David continued, "Councilor Four and his entourage!"
The hovering droids entered the bridge carrying Councilor Four, now awake and the five Blue Band Hork-Bajir that Biran, Ax, and I had to fight. Actually, we only had to fight two of them; the other three were still unconscious. Even just the two of them nearly killed us. All five of the Hork-Bajir were unconscious.
"Visser Two and his bodyguards!" David announced as the hovering droids came in with three more Hork-Bajir.
"The entire Peach Haven Task Force!" David announced as more hovering droids came in this time with seven humans.
David had also captured seven Gedd-controllers, but before he started this broadcast he made mention of "dealing with the lowly Gedd-controllers", which made me wonder what he did with them. David seems to be doing everything in his power not to take a life. And yet, how strange is it that all of his life preserving should culminate in an assassination?
"And now, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce our distinguished special guest of honor. The Abomination. The Monster. The Myth. The Butcher of the Hork-Bajir: former War-Prince Alloran-Semitur-Corass, and his yeerk captor, the Third Visser of the Yeerk Empire: Esplin Nine-Four-Double-Six Prime!"
A droid hovered in carrying the Visser. He looked angry and frustrated at his powerlessness.
"And now our host, he's just a small town boy, born in South Detroit, the one, the only: Daaaaaaavid Hunting!" As he said this, he demorphed from his feet upwards like a film reveal. David was wearing his usual clothing, not dressing up nice for the occasion. Sneakers, jeans, T-shirt, and trench coat.
"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha." He laughed as he finished demorphed. "Thank you, Yeerk Scum of TV-Land. Thanks for tuning into a very special episode of The David Hunting Show."
>It's official.> Marco said. >He's completely lost his mind.>
"But first, a word from our sponsors," David said as he morphed into an older male wearing what Rachel calls 'casual dress attire', except he kept the trench coat. I recognized this human morph too. It was the morph of the Controller he acquired during his first mission with us, the banquet of the seven world leaders.
"Having trouble with morph-capable warriors?" said David in morph as he pulled a syringe from his pocket. "Then you need Protimus-Bots! Inject Protimus-Bots into the morph-capable warrior and with touch of a button, you find out everything you wanted to know about every single morph they got. And you can also trap them in any morph you want, OR keep them as their own sweet loveable blue or purple selves."
>What does he mean he knows about all our morphs?> Marco asked.
>David calls his invention 'Protimus-Bots'. I can only assume then that it must have something to do with the protimus capsules.> Ax explained. >You see, when we acquire a morph the biotechnology stores it into what is called a protimus capsule.>
"Works on Andalites," David said motioning to us, "or Andalite-Controllers!" David poked Visser Three in his cheek.
>Affecting the protimus capsules would then affect morphing.> Ax continued. >If David can now externally control the Protimus capsules, then he could theoretically read them as well. That could be how he knew I had a djabala morph.>
"Protimus-Bots by Proteus Industries. Avaliable Nowhere!" David finished and demorphed. "And we're back with our Special Guest, Esplin 9466 Prime. So, Esplin, as the only Andalite-controller in existence some would say that you're a big success, but as some of us know, success is not always equivalent to popularity. Take what Visser Two wrote in the first part of his report,"
Visser Two shot his head up in surprise.
"'Esplin 9466 is highly ineffective and completely insane. His methods are questionable, his results are sloppy, and his operations are the worst kind of grandiose tripe.'" David recited. "OUCH! Not very nice or constructive."
Visser Three glared angrily at Visser Two for a bit, but realized that he was not his enemy right now.
"I like better what Councilor Four wrote in his personal journal last night." David said as the S-s-stram-Controller's eyes went wide in a human-like expression of shock. David began to recite, "'Esplin 9466 represents both the best and the worst of yeerk ambition. He is often delinquent to our command, but even in his delinquency he still remains completely loyal to us.'
"Let's hear that one more time, '. . . even in his delinquency he still remains completely loyal to us.'"
The emphasis was for us. He's been trying to convince us that even if he's not with us, he's not against us.
But comparing yourself to Visser Three is not the best way to prove your point.
Ironically, David fails to make another connection to himself when he recites "'But, Esplin's plans, though ambitions, are often poorly executed. In addition, he would learn better from his mistakes if he we were not so arrogant. I do not like him. No, not one bit.' Man, you are just not making friends on either side." David commented.
I had never seen a S-s-stram before today, so naturally I had no idea how to interpret their facial expressions. Still, it seemed as if the S-s-stram controller was . . . ashamed.
"I can relate. You see, I'm on their side," David said motioning to us, "but they think I'm just a crazy, disturbed human. They can't control me, and they don't particularly like me, but still they fight to protect my planet from you losers."
I realized David said this to distance himself from us in the Yeerks' eyes. So they'll no longer connect David's actions with those of the Andalite Bandits.
He did that to protect us.
"They're jerks," David continued, "but you gotta give props to Andalite nobility. Not that you would know anything about Andalite nobility, Esplin. I mean the one andalite you know better than anyone is, well, a genocidal criminal."
I noticed Toby snarl a little. I guess she forgot what Visser Three's host did to her people.
David walked over to Visser Three and put something in each of his ears.
>What are you doing?> Visser Three asked.
"Making sure you don't escape like a coward. I had those earplugs custom made for you." David said as he morphed into Visser Three. >Thankfully, I had your size.> He said in the Visser's thought-speech. >Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.> He laughed in his own thought-speech.
A few droids on wheels came in and approached Visser Three. They put silver globes on Visser Three's hands and tail blade. Another rolling droid put a red, metal post in the middle of the bridge and small red, metal brick a few feet behind it.
Two more droids came in dragging a rack on wheels. A rack of weapons. I saw a sword, a spear, a mace, an axe, and a whip.
"You know, Esplin," David continued, "in certain ancient civilizations of Earth, when a man has failed so completely like you and Alloran, they would throw themselves upon their swords."
David picked the sword up off the rack and the Visser's eyes went wide.
"But that would be a good death for a good man who did good works. Neither you nor Alloran qualify in my opinion. Therefore, I have something a little more brutal in mind."
>Killing me when I'm tied up and unable to morph.> The Visser spoke for the first time. >You are a coward, Morph-Human. If you had any 'Andalite Nobility' as you call it, you would best me in combat!>
"'Best me in combat'?" David repeated. "Is that what you did to Elfangor? Best him in combat? No, I think you killed him when he was helpless and 'unable to morph.'
"Besides, I have bested you in combat. I've slit your throat, I've set you ablaze, but still you manage to survive. Combat? We're both bored of that. No, you will not die a warrior. You will die like a sinner." David said as he snapped his fingers.
The robotic tendril that held Visser Three dropped him in the middle of the bridge. The red metal post lit up and the globes on Visser Three's hands pulled the Visser toward the post until they were attached. The globe on his tail blade then became attached to the red metal brick.
Visser Three was bound in a familiar position. David put down the sword.
And picked up the whip.
>Oh God.> I muttered.
>Please, God, no.> Cassie thought-spoke as her wolf morphed whimpered.
"Forty is the magic number, Esplin." David said he stepped behind the Visser's back.
>Hunting! Whatever you do to me, I will make you pay for it!> Visser Three said, his thought-speech dripping in anger and frustration.
And fear.
"Computer, keep count for me." David said as he swung the whip around his body.
>David! Don't do this!> Cassie yelled.
>Release me at once!> The Visser demanded. >Release me or I will make you—>
FWAAP! The whip hit him on his "human" back. The Visser screamed.
>AAAAAAAH! You monster! You Beast!>
FWAAP! Again on his upper back.
>AAAAAAAH! I'll kill you, Hunting. I'll kill you!>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> The visser started to breathe heavier. >I'm going to . . . . I'm going to . . . .>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> The Visser screamed, but offered no threats.
FWAAP! This time the whip hit the Visser at the base of one of his stalk eyes.
>AAAAAAAH!> The Visser screamed louder and in greater pain as the stalk eye flew off and landed on one of the human-controllers.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" she screamed in terror as the Visser's disembodied stalk eye stared blankly at her.
>David, stop this! This is not honorable!> Ax protested.
"That's precisely the point, Andalite." David replied.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> The Visser screamed.
>This is about five different kinds of wrong.> Marco said privately. >I mean, I know he's our worst enemy, but damn!>
>David, stop this! Stop this NOW!> I commanded.
"Just getting started." David said.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> This hit directly in the group of muscles that connected the Visser's "human" half to his "deer" half. The Visser's Andalite knees began to buckle after each hit.
David walked around the Visser with his back to us. We swung his whip and caught the Visser in his flank.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> Again, in the flank.
"En-taga!" Councilor Four shouted.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> The Visser was hit in his forelegs. He went down, leaning on the post, his hands still attached to it. The Visser slowly rose to his stolen hooves. >I'll . . . get . . . you . . . . for—>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAH!> The Visser was hit at the base of his tail causing him to lurch forward. Blue blood began to pool on the floor of the bridge.
FWAAP! FWAAP!
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!> The back of his "deer" half was hit twice in succession. I didn't know if David counted that as one or two.
>Stop this, David!> Cassie shouted as she started to freak out. >Stop this! Stop this! STOP THIS!>
>Cassie, calm down.> I said.
>But David . . . . he's . . . . . >
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!>
"Stop!" Toby yelled. "No more!"
"Tezza Shieko!" Visser Two yelled in protest.
The Councilor said something long in a soft tone.
>What are they saying, Ax?> I asked.
>The same thing. 'Stop this. Please.'> Ax translated, sadness in his thought-speech. Of all of us, Ax hated Visser Three the most. Yet, even he was horrified by David's display of cruelty.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAH!> The Visser fell to his knees again. This time he did not get up.
>Stop this David!> Ax commanded.
>This isn't right, man!> Marco protested.
Cassie howled in sadness.
Only then did I notice that Rachel had remained silent.
I looked at her and her grizzly face was unreadable.
But I got the sinking feeling that she approved.
FWAAP!
>AAAAH!> The Visser's thought-speech screams got shorter as he lacked the energy to scream.
Cassie howled again.
David had said that millions had wept because of the Visser, but here, humans, yeerks, andalites, and hork-bajir weep because of him.
David stopped and the Visser stood up. David pressed something on the post. The Visser's right arm hung free from the post. David then put his foot to the Visser's right flank and kicked, pushing him. The Visser's weakened legs buckled and he tipped over sideways into the pool of his own blood. The fall stretched his left arm which was still attached to the post.
David's back was now to the controllers and I couldn't see where his hits landed as well, but I definitely heard the response.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!> The Visser screamed loudly as the whip ripped previously untouched skin on what appeared to be the lower abdomen of his "human" half.
"Fay'shaka toe na sssss-sya! Oosh moori!" The Coucilor protested. "En-TAGA!"
>The Councilor is threatening to make all of Earth pay for his crimes.> Ax translated.
>David, stop this! You'll rain Hell upon us all.> I pleaded.
"Let it come!" David shouted.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!> Visser Three lifted his right arm in front of him. A vain attempt at protection. >Stop. . . . . Please.> Was all he said.
David didn't listen. FWAAP!
The visser didn't scream so much as grunted at the whip which wrapped around his arm. He didn't scream until David pulled the whip back tearing a hunk of flesh of the Visser's arm.
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!>
>David, stop this! Please!> I shouted. I knew he would not listen, but I couldn't stop myself.
"No more, David!" Toby shouted.
"En-taga!" cried Visser Two.
"Stop!" cried one of the human-controllers, the first time someone directly in Visser Three's command protested to the flogging.
>Please stop this. This is inhuman!> Cassie hysterically protested as she howled sorrowfully.
"Zu Andalites-ssss obonalo ty, ish'd dana ka!" Councilor Four said in Galard. "En-taga!"
Ax offered a translation, but I didn't need one. He was saying the same thing we all were. That this horrible, evil act of cruelty should stop.
David kept whipping throughout.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!>
Toby's Hork-Bajir who had been silent throughout began making horrible moans in protest. After a while the conscious Hork-Bajir-controllers, including Visser Two, joined in.
Councilor Four shouted his protests in Galard. "En-taga!" was heard a lot. The human-controllers all began shouting. One of the older women was crying.
We shouted our protests in thought-speech, and unlike normal speech, we didn't have to stop to breathe.
But David whipped throught
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!>
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!>
>David, this is serious 'fuck with your head' type stuff!> Marco started. >You don't come back from crossing a line like this.>
"Oh, don't even make me fucking say it!" David replied back.
FWAAP!
>AAAAH!>
"This is not a good thing." The blonde girl named Stephanie said. "If you finish this, you'll be just as bad as Brett Taggart!"
FWAAP! This time, the whip did not hit the Visser, although I noticed him jerking in anticipation. It hit the floor near the human-controllers. Something David's ex-girlfriend said ticked him off.
"Shut up! Shut your fucking face! You don't talk anymore!" David yelled as Stephanie with the kind of anger I hadn't seen him have since we rescued him that night in Georgia.
David's left arm, the one not holding the whip, had turned red and into a talon like claw. Something alien.
>It's that red thing he morphed that night he left us.> Marco realized.
David shook his arm and it became human again. He turned back to the Visser. "Fuck, I lost count. Computer?"
"Your count is . . ." Ayla began. She seemed to waver. "38."
38? No, it was only something like 20.
"Huh." David said, believing her. "Oh well."
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!> Visser Three screamed as he was struck in the rump.
David swung the whip a few times for his last whip.
FWAAP!
>AAAAAAH!> The whip hit Visser Three in his face at the part where a human mouth would be. The way the wound appeared, it was almost as if the Visser was smiling a horrible, blue, parody of a smile.
"That was . . . . ." David began. I was horrified he might say the word 'fun'. "Interesting." Was what he said.
The Visser laid there, breathing heavily. His body was drenched in sweat and blood. His face was covered in it, coming mostly from the wound of his severed stalk eye.
"Cheer up, Visser. The worst is over. First I'll take away your physical pain, and then one of the andalites will take away all your pain."
He meant me. >No! I refuse!> I said.
David ignored me. "Computer, have we fully analyzed the Visser's morph-set yet?"
"No." said Ayla. "The Visser has over 200 different DNA samples. Analysis and extrapolation will take at least another three hours."
"200?" David repeated. "And I thought I was morph crazy. Well, we can't wait three hours. Identify DNA codes that are the same species as the aristh's current morph."
"Match found."
"Activate."
Instantly, Visser Three began changing. His hands and tail slipped out of the silver globes that held them. The whip marks went away, as his skin became darker and unscarred. He grew a mouth. His arms and legs both changed into identical legs with claws. I finally recognized the animal. It was the same creature Ax was: a djabala.
Since morphing works from DNA it heals you, but I was unsure whether or not the Visser would be truly "healed"
The Visser had been on his side throughout the morph. He rolled to his belly and began to walk. As he did that, droids came and put up five more posts like the red one. Set up in a hexagon pattern, David activated the posts by giving a command to Ayla and a fence that seemed to be made of energy about five feet high enclosed an area about the size of a boxing ring. Visser Three stood there, standing and covered in his own Andalite blood, looking around with two main eyes and two stalk eyes.
>What . . . . what's going on?> The Visser finally asked.
"It's time for you to die, Visser." David said as he snapped his fingers.
The robotic tendril holding me, swung and released me, throwing me into the ring. I landed on my feet as a good cat should. The smell of Andalite blood excited my leopard senses.
Oh no.
>Don't do anything rash, Andalite.> Visser Three half-warned/half-pleaded with me.
I growled as I tried to fight my leopard instincts. About two weeks before David entered our lives, Cassie got lost in the woods with a human-controller named Karen. A real leopard had also gotten loose from a rich eccentric in the area. The creature was a terrifying hunter who nearly claimed the lives of both Cassie and Karen and by extension, Aftran, her yeerk captor.
Aftran gave up the life of a parasite and we gave her the morphing power. We made her trap herself in a morph of her choosing. She chose a humpback whale. Now she swam free in Earth's great oceans.
Oceans that may no longer be safe, now that David has the Sea Blade. What did David call this ship? Proteus?
>No. David.> I refused. >I won't kill the visser like this.>
>Do it!>
That didn't come from David. That came from Rachel.
>Who cares how he got there, we can't just let Visser Three escape. He's too powerful an enemy.> Rachel rationalized. >Come on, we'll make David pay for it later, but now, let's finish this. Kill one enemy then we can deal with the other one.>
>David is not our enemy.> Ax argued.
>I hate to break it to you, Ax, but yeah he is. Your old roommate has us tied-up and our powers neutralized. What would you call him? 'Friend'? With friends like him, who needs enemies?>
>David's not trying to hurt us.> Cassie said. >If anything, he in his misguided way is trying to help us.>
>Who cares? Fine, he's helping us. He's helping us kill Visser Three, so let's do it!>
>Rachel, if Tobias kills him this way, he'll be just as bad as Visser Three. He would have killed him just like how Visser Three killed his father, Elfangor.> Cassie said.
>To me, that sounds like the perfect reason to do it!> Rachel replied.
>To me, Rachel, it sounds like the perfect reason not to do it.> I said. >No, David. I won't do it. I won't betray the memory of Prince Elfangor-Sirinal-Shamtul. I won't sully the memory of my father!>
David didn't get angry. He just kind of sighed. "Fine. I can respect that." David said as he walked to his rack of weapons. He picked up the sword and walked to the edge of the energy fence. "This seems kind of anticlimactic, but," David said as he held the sword in a stabbing position above where Visser Three stood. Visser Three made no attempt to evade.
David raised the blade.
TSSSSSSSEEEEWWW! Dracon Flash.
"AAAAAH!" David screamed. Metal clanged to the ground. He was hit!
>David!> Cassie shouted.
I looked through the energy fence and I could see that David wasn't moving.