Author's note:
I've decided to skip my rewrite of book 33/The Illusion. I had a short scene written consisting of Tom and Jake bantering before the dance, and nothing else. Sometimes, when you struggle to write something for a couple of years, you have to call it quits and figure it wasn't meant to be. So, the events of 32 and 33 take place more or less the same as they did in canon, and as 34 mostly takes place on the Hork-Bajir home world, despite it being one I particularly enjoyed, it would be nearly impossible to include Tom and Aftran. Which means that, as far as canon goes, this takes place in between 34 and 35.
Oh, and if the time frame between 29 and 34/35 is off...so be it. Maybe, Tom being infested Aftran changed up events in more ways than we knew at the time. Yeah. Let's go with that.
As Jake and Tom are roughly three years apart, and Jake was 13 in the beginning, I'm placing him at a YOUNG 15 at 34. Not young as in not mature, but young as in had his birthday within the past month or so.
Tom, then, is 18, and has graduated from high school before he and Aftran teamed up. This fic takes place early during the school year, so Tom's taking classes at a community college.
Last thing. If you're looking for a plot-heavy fic, this ESPECIALLY isn't one. I'm letting you know right now that there is going to be no Yeerk attack, no plans of one, nothing. There will be some heavy angst, but nothing "happens" in the traditional sense. Hence, it being between the books. If you're looking for a fic with more stuff happening, this isn't for you. Then again, if you've read all of the works in my "Alliance" series, you should know I'm not heavy on plot, so...
Anyway.
Onto the fic...
After Jake came back from the Hork-Bajir home world, it was my idea for us to take an overnight mountain climbing/camping trip.
Thing is, even though he hadn't been gone all that long, and a Chee had been standing in for him, I'd missed him.
"What do you say?" I asked, about a week after he returned. "Say, from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon. Just us."
"The two of us, or the three of us?" Jake clarified.
Inside my head, Aftran chuckled. (If it's just the two of you, perhaps you should wait until Saturday. I will have to feed, and there's Cassie to consider.)
I gave a mental nod. Cassie had missed out on her time with Aftran during the last mission. Perhaps we could have made it work, but why take the risk?
Turned out for the best. An Andalite legend plus a Yeerk would give anyone a massive headache.
(Good point.)
"Just us, only we would change it from Saturday to Sunday. Which gives you all of Friday to finish your homework," I added, with a grin.
Jake gave me a good natured groan. It wasn't a tall order, though. I knew for a fact that he and the other Animorphs had a long weekend coming up. Teachers had an inservice day, probably learning how to teach better or something.
Hey, if it meant an extra day off for the Midget, who was I to complain?
I had just started with community college, and had managed to avoid Friday classes entirely.
No, I didn't rub it in Jake's face.
Much.
(He'll really hate you next semester, when you're off on Fridays and Mondays,) Aftran piped up.
I gave her a mental grin. (You know it.)
Jake considered. "What if something major comes up?"
"They're not planning anything," I promised. "Believe me, midget. Everyone is still trying to stay alive after the anti-morphing ray fiasco."
Jake flinched.
I knew why. No one had expected Tobias to be tortured, or not to the extent that he was.
I hadn't thought that they would let him go, but I hadn't known that Sub-Visser Fifty-One had been in charge. Honestly, I had figured it was Chapman's Yeerk, Innis 226. He would have waited the two hours, then tried to shoot. That's what we had counted on. Tobias would "demorph" to Andalite then, give Visser Three's BFF a heart attack, and escape.
We hadn't thought to have a plan B.
Tobias hadn't blamed Jake. Had even volunteered for the role.
Still. He wasn't the same afterwards.
Technically, the mission had been a win for us. The Yeerks had finally given up on the AMR, as they called it. So had Visser Three, and that was who really mattered.
All the same, you can win and still have immeasurable losses.
Out loud, I said, "Being the leader isn't easy. Sometimes, you have to make tough calls." I put a hand over his shoulders. "I figure you deserve a break."
"And climbing a mountain is supposed to be a break?" he quipped.
I gave his shoulder a squeeze. "It's more like hiking than climbing. And the view at the top will be incredible. Plus, nature. The great outdoors. Campfires. All that good stuff."
Jake took a deep breath, then nodded. "Okay. As long as we bring a tent."
"Duh. I don't want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes," I promised.
"And snacks, too," Jake pressed. Grinning.
"Obviously. I figured we'd definitely make s'mores," I said, grinning.
"Okay. Sure. I'm in."
Come Friday night, after I had returned from the Yeerk pool and made a pit stop to Cassie's barn, my parents and I went over the details.
"I refilled the car with gas," Dad told me. Handing me a few 20's, he added, "If it gets below half a tank, please remember to fill it back up."
"I will, I promise."
"Do you have enough blankets?" Mom asked, studying our supplies.
"Two sleeping bags, two blankets," Jake confirmed. "We should be good."
"And food?" Dad wanted to know.
I opened the duffel bag. He examined it, went to the pantry, and returned with several bags of trail mix (the good kind, with chocolate included) and chocolate bars.
"Keep this in your pockets. Especially the chocolate. You will need the energy," he told us.
We obliged.
After some more inspection, and then addition of a couple of items (extra sweatshirts, underwear, etc.), Mom and Dad decided we would not freeze, starve, or get eaten alive by bugs.
"Wake us before you leave," Mom made us promise.
We promised we would, and then headed to bed.
After all, we were going to start out early the next day.
Just in case, the Animorphs knew where we were. And Tobias was going to fly around the area, which was an hour drive, but way less with wings. So, in the unlikely event that something did happen, we wouldn't be off the grid.
Once we were safely in the car, Jake asked me where I heard of this mountain camp site.
"Sharing trip," I admitted.
It would have been a fun one, if it had been Aftran with me instead of Temrash. When your Yeerk is almost gentle to you, that means you're really broken.
I mean, he actually tried to talk to me. Not like Aftran does, not by a long shot, but Temrash spoke like I was almost human, like he gave two cents about what I thought.
Then again, maybe he was looking for something to keep his mind occupied while picking up trash. Sharing events often had a community service element to them.
Jake must have heard something in my voice, because he asked, "Before your second one?"
I stopped at a red light. "Yeah. Less than a month before him."
When I looked back on my time with Temrash, especially with Aftran's perspective, I sometimes thought he was mostly bark. Sure, he punished me when I fought him, but Temrash at his worst was nothing compared to Gariss. He was an ambitious jerk, and thought of himself before anyone else, but he wasn't cruel for the hell of it.
Not that I missed him. Or would trade him for Aftran.
But back when I had Gariss? If I could go back to Temrash? I would have, in a second. I would even have been voluntary if it meant keeping my family safe.
And the thing about Temrash? Well, he didn't try to get at Jake until after Elfangor's ship crashed.
Until then, he left my family alone.
The light turned green, and as Aftran wasn't there to take over, I forced myself to focus.
"What do the directions say after this intersection?" I asked.
"Keep straight for another ten miles."
"Easy enough."
"Tom? If this is hard, you can talk to me," he offered, tentatively.
I swallowed. "Thanks. Maybe after we get there. Got to focus on the road."
"Yeah. Sure."
We stopped at Wendy's right before arriving at the camp site, and were still munching on breakfast sandwiches and fries (it's never too early in the morning for fries) when we pulled up to a parking spot.
I paid a half awake attendant the money for use of the grounds. There were spots available at various points on this mountain, as well as on the ground. Naturally, we would sleep at the top. What's the point of going mountain climbing and camping if you're going to sleep at ground level.
"Okay, Midget, let's divide the goods. I was thinking that I would handle the food and clothes, and you carry the sleeping bags and blankets," I offered.
"Isn't that a lot for you to carry?"
I experimented with the suitcase. It wasn't too bad.
Well, maybe after five miles (5.2, to be precise), it would hurt.
"I should be okay for now."
He remained dubious. "If you need to hand me some stuff later, let me know."
I gave him a side hug, it being the easiest with the stuff in my pack. "Aye aye, fearless leader."
Jake rolled his eyes at me, but couldn't hide a grin.
We set out.
I'd been on hikes before, and this one was pretty tame. Even with at least thirty pounds attached to my back, the incline was tame enough that it felt a little like a cooldown portion on my dad's treadmill. Jake wasn't exactly huffing or puffing either, and in about twenty minutes, we were in a good enough pattern that we could talk with relative ease.
Jake broke the silence.
"Thanks for suggesting this, Tom. It's...nice, you know? The two of us, doing something normal."
I grinned and looked at him. "So, you're glad I pushed you into going?"
He laughed. "Yeah, even if it means getting up early on a Saturday." A minute later, he added, "You know, three months ago, I wouldn't have been able to do this. I would have been too... I dunno...wary."
It had been three months and thirteen days since Aftran and I had teamed up.
"If it makes you feel any better, if it had been that long ago, I would have been sure that-that he was out to get you," I said, softly. "In either way."
Jake's hand squeezed mine. "I would have known something was up. If he had done...this...then." His voice sounded shaky, but when he spoke again, Jake sounded normal. "But even if it hadn't been just you, now, I wouldn't have been worried."
I felt mixed about this. Proud of my brother for being so smart, but hating the Yeerks (most of them) for invading Earth and basically turning my kid brother into a child soldier.
I managed a smile. "I would have been concerned if you had been worried, now."
Another squeeze, then he let go. "No, I trust her just about as much as I trust you. Well," he conceded, "maybe just a little less."
"I am your big brother," I reminded him.
"Really? Could have sworn you were separated at birth," Midget deadpanned.
I snorted.
Around the middle of the day, it was starting to get hot, and I could see we were halfway up the mountain. Funny how I could run five miles easily on a treadmill or on the ground in less than forty minutes (thirty when I pushed myself), but it was about a mile an hour up a mountain.
Well, I was carrying thirty pounds on my back.
"Let's stop for lunch. There's some trees and shade over there," I suggested.
"That sounds great," Jake agreed, just a bit out of breath.
A few minutes later, our backs were mercifully free from loads twice the size of Homer. Jake might have the smaller one, but he breathed a sigh of relief when it was off his shoulders.
"I'm fine," he told me, as though reading my mind.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Sandwich?" I offered, holding out the cloth cooler.
"You bet. I'm starved." After taking a few bites, he glanced around. "Um, not that I need to go, but if I do...?"
"You notice those blue arrows on their trail?"
He shrugged, then upon seeing one a few feet from us, nodded.
"They lead to porta-potties. Not ideal, I know, but in a rush..."
His face broke out into a grin. "Yeah."
"Or," I added, teasingly, "you could always morph and go that way."
Jake nearly choked on his sandwich as he laughed.
I wasn't sure if I'd need to pound my kid brother on the back, but after a few coughs, he swallowed the remains of the bite, and then rolled his eyes at me.
"You couldn't have waited until he swallowed?"
"Sorry." I raised my hands in mock defeat. "I didn't notice you had taken a bite when I spoke. You okay?"
"I'll live. Just, save the jokes for when I'm not chewing, okay?"
"I promise."
We ate in silence for a bit, but it wasn't awkward. Really, it was very peaceful. We already had a nice view, although not close enough to the edge to make me nervous, and it was probably as close to a perfect day as you could get. Sunny without being so strong you needed sunglasses, warm without being super hot, and just the right amount of breeze. If God was real-and I was 75% sure He was-it was like He'd chosen this day to give us near perfect weather to go mountain climbing and admire His creation.
Also, hadn't I read somewhere that the ancient Israelites went up on the mountains to be close to Him? I'd need to check after I got back home.
A couple of sandwiches and a chocolate bar each later, we decided to give the porta-potties a chance before we really had to go later. We took turns, with one going and the other guarding our supplies. Probably, no one would take it, but that wasn't a risk I was willing to take. When it was my turn, well, let's just say that the smell was as awful as you would expect, but I managed to get in and out in a few minutes.
"Up for round two?" I asked Jake, as we loaded up our packs.
"Sure. How much farther until we reach the top?" he asked.
"There are mile markers every so often. I think we passed two and a half not too long ago. We'll need to keep an eye out for the next one. Why?" I added, with a small smirk, "you getting tired already?"
Jake laughed. "You never morphed three animals in the span of an hour before taking out a bunch of Visser Three's Hork-Bajir and Taxxon cronies. I was just asking in case you were tired."
I raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Midget. I'm still able to put you in a headlock."
It was-mostly-an empty threat. Especially now, as we were weighed down by packs.
All the same, he raised his arms, briefly, in surrender. "Sorry."
I gave him a very, very light punch. "Apology accepted."
We walked for awhile, or maybe the term was hiked. My pack wasn't exactly light, now, but I figured it was about a pound lighter than before. Midget's was, of course, as full as ever. Still, we'd eat more food between tonight and tomorrow, and I might be able to persuade him to let me take a blanket after we'd had a good night sleep.
The afternoon heated up, but not unbearably so. We tried to stay in the shade, and passed a few fellow hikers doing the same. After another mile, we stopped to open a bag of trail mix each. The sound of us chewing was definitely louder than the nearby animals.
Well before nightfall, we reached the top of the mountain, and the mile marker that read 5.2. I grinned at Jake, who smiled back at me.
"How about a ten minute rest, and then we'll set up the tent?" I offered.
There was a large area of flat ground marked for campers, but as of yet, we were the only ones there. Full of grass in the middle, with trees along the sides, it had evidently been marked by man. Or by the people who wanted to keep the mountain free from garbage, porta-potties cleaned out on occasion, and make enough money to feed their families.
Volunteers weren't there all day, every day, and even The Sharing wasn't going to muck out outdoor bathrooms.
"Yeah, sure," Jake agreed.
We sat down near the edge of the site, close enough to the edge of the mountain to take in the amazing view, but not so close that there's any chance of falling.
I put an arm around Jake, and he leaned in against me, just a little.
"Amazing view, huh?" I asked, after a few minutes.
"Definitely." After a pause, he added, "Kinda reminds me of the Hork-Bajir valley."
Even though no one was nearby, certainly not close enough to hear us talking, he said "Hork-Bajir" in a whisper.
"Yeah. I guess," I agreed.
Aftran and I had been there a couple of times. As much as Jara and Ket and Toby hate Yeerks, they get that some don't want to hurt them. They don't like Aftran, exactly, but they wouldn't kill her.
Still, between that and it being nearly impossible to find, Aftran and I had only been there a couple of times.
It's become a lot larger. Used to be Jara Hamee and Ket Halpek. Then, their daughter. Toby. But they have risked their lives, countless times, to free others. And those others had kids, and now...well, I didn't get an official number, but I would say it's got to be hundreds.
Aftran has said there are over five hundred Yeerks in the Peace Movement. Probably more who want to join, or are sympathetic to their cause. Part of the problem, aside from the whole risk of being starved as a traitor, is that the secrecy means it's hard to find a member and join.
After Aftran almost got killed, they became a lot more cautious about who knows what. Maybe, each member knows the names of a handgun of others.
Aftran and Illim know almost all of them.
We stayed sitting there, admiring the scenery, until it starts to get a little darker. Not dark dark, but it was late afternoon in early fall. I turned to Jake.
"We should get set up if we don't want to be working in the dark. If I get the tent, can you start the fire?"
"I can try," Jake offered, giving me a sheepish grin.
Right. Apparently being an Animorph doesn't teach Boy Scout skills.
Something to tell Aftran about. It hasn't happened yet, but we both think that, at some point, we will all have to go off the grid. She and I had started buying and putting away supplies at the Chee headquarters m, unbeknownst to Jake. Erek swears he won't say anything about it.
But food only lasts so long, and I wasn't sure if they can override hunger by morphing an animal and eating it.
One step at a time.
"Hmm. Do I want to risk the whole place going down in flames?" I teased. "Okay, you collect firewood while I handle the tent. Can you handle that?"
"Yes," Jake's answered, smirking a bit. "If I don't fall off the mountain."
"Ha ha," I deadpanned.
Dad hadn't taken us camping since we were kids, but The Sharing had done a fair amount of overnight trips. Just one night, because any more than that could cause issues with Yeerk feeding schedules. Or, maybe, they didn't want to bother with something that would likely result in as many full members with an overnight trip.
Anyway, I knew the basics from watching and experimenting before my infestation, and after getting Aftran, I got more practice. Not that there's likely going to be my name under the slot for "Most Efficient Setter Upper of a Camp Tent," but I definitely knew what I was doing.
Twenty minutes later, I hauled out clothes and sleeping supplies inside, leaving out the food we'd eat tonight.
Including ample amounts of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. Because what is a camping trip without s'mores?
Also, they were one of Aftran's favorite junk foods, and she made my promo her to have at least one for her.
Once everything looked like it was in order, I headed out to help Jake with the firewood.
I was surprised, when I saw him, at how much he was carrying. And he didn't look like he was having much trouble with it, either.
"Wow, nice job, midget," I praised. "One more load, and we should be good for tonight at tomorrow."
"Thanks." He grinned at me. "Right here, then?"
He pointed to the marked area the people in charge decided would be close enough for us to be near our tent, and far enough that it probably wouldn't catch fire. Also, being in a pit probably helped the odds of everything not going up in flames.
I nodded. "I'll start the fire and you can grab some more logs. Should have the food ready by the time you get back."
"Great, I'm starving."
"Me too."
I had been willing to eat PB and J sandwiches for dinner, but Dad had insisted it wouldn't be a real camping trip without grilled meat. So, after loading up a small cooler with enough ice packs to keep a penguin cool, he wrapped some hamburger meat and hot dogs in plastic bags.
We didn't need to freeze the buns or condiments, of course.
He also lent us one of those cooking pans in case the campsite didn't provide one, which was a good thing, because the ones that were there had probably been last used by the dinosaurs.
Or maybe cavemen.
Let me tell you, when a teenage male looks at a cooking pan and thinks it's too dirty to cook in, you know it's bad.
"We need to remember to thank Dad for helping us with this," Jake said, through a mouthful of hot dog.
"Absolutely. Just as long as he doesn't try to get us to clean the garage."
"I did that last month. Got paid twenty dollars for it," Midget reminded me.
"Yeah, but who's to say it won't have reverted back to its original state?"
"Tom!" Jake protested, snickering.
"I'm serious! Do you know how many times a year we have to clean that thing? It's like it's got a mind of its own. And the stuff we have to give to Good Will? It's like it keeps coming back," I insisted.
"We do have a lot of stuff," Jake agreed. "I just keep hoping they don't remember about the attic."
"Naw, they'll wait until they're grandparents for that. Get rid of our old papers and projects while we're still in school? Not gonna happen."
"I hope so," Jake agreed.
Five minutes later, and now onto the hamburgers, I spoke up again.
"Hey, Jake?"
"Yeah, Tom?"
"Think you'll go to college?"
He shrugged. "I'm still trying to, you know, survive high school."
We both knew who he really meant.
"But after high school, if everything works out, you'd be able to go anywhere. Heck, you could probably be a science teacher or something without having to take a class," I reasoned. "But seriously. Just because I went the community route does mean you need to. And your grades are a lot better, now."
It was true. He nearly failed out of eighth grade, but they passed him in the end. Right before I was freed.
Now, Jake wasn't exactly getting straight A's, but he was maintaining a solid B average. B in a couple of subjects. Maybe he wouldn't get into a place like Stanford before the world knew he was the one who fought against an alien empire to keep us free...but he could definitely get into some decent places with a B average.
After barely passing high school, Mom and Dad nearly cried when he turned over his latest report card. Honestly, if he'd been a year older and then asked for a car, I thought they would seriously consider getting him one.
"It's just that we don't know how long this will be going on," Jake reminded me, almost patiently. As though I didn't know all too well. "It might be longer than four more years. And, what then?"
I sighed. I had learned that Rachel had been given a chance out, over a year ago. Her dad had been offered a promotion at work, and she could have lived with him. Gone pro with gymnastics, too.
She turned it during. Not because she didn't want to--I didn't think she had the passion for fighting that she does now--but because she couldn't.
"I guess you can stay local, like me," I murmured. "You know, it practically killed Dad when Tem--when I quit basketball. And then when I said I was only applying local... I made some pitch that I could transfer. That it would save them money to do community for two years."
"I remember. They said you wouldn't make as many friends. You'd lose out on that college experience. And they could afford the tuition." Jake sighed on my behalf.
I put an arm around his shoulder. "One day, this will all be in their past. We'll tell them everything. They'll probably never trust us again, but at least they'll know."
"Think they'll understand?"
I shrugged. "God, I hope so."
We were quiet for awhile, and just before it got dark, we made s'mores. We both had two full ones, and then I had a third.
For Aftran.
"Are you okay, Tom?" Midget asked.
It wasn't a new question. We'd sort of fallen out of the practice of having Aftran leave my head every time she fed, since Cassie got her for a night or so once a week. After a few months, and with her access to my memory, we figured that we were safe.
Safe enough.
I mean, Aftran could still be killed at any time by Visser Three if he was in a particularly bad mood, but even he knew that missing human teenagers (especially those who still lived at home) would draw attention. Our chances of death were probably highest right after the Antimorphing Ray mission, and we tried to steer clear.
But Taylor's Yeerk survived, and Chapman, and so did us.
Humans, like I said, tend to have a lower fatality rate.
For now.
I shrugged. "Things between her and me are good. I don't know if I will ever be the same person I was before, but isn't that ancient history? I definitely don't wake up wishing I was dead anymore."
Jake laughed, but it seemed forced. "I know a little about the last part."
"Really?"
He looked at me as though I was nuts. Briefly.
"Yeah. Well, before," he conceded.
I hugged him. "I wish I could just snap my fingers and make this whole war disappear. I'd never play basketball again if I could."
He squeezed me back, relaxing against me. "It's easier now," he murmured. "Really."
Jake let go after a bit, and I gave him a quick squeeze before letting go.
Then, we sat by the fire until it died down. Just sat quietly, peacefully, watching as the flames diminished and finally disappeared.
We watched the stars for awhile. We weren't in a big city, so there wasn't any light pollution, but here out in the mountains? You could see way more than at home.
So many stars. Probably, at least some had planets. And life, too. Was one of the stars the same one the Yeerk home world revolved around? Or the Andalite home planet? I'd once asked Temrash to point it out to me, on a very rare occasion when I wasn't fighting or screaming or pleading with him. He'd sounded almost regretful when he'd answered it couldn't be detected by human eyes.
"Stargazing is so different, now," Jake murmured.
"I know. If it helps, we can't see any of the stars from their worlds from here. Much less their planets or moons," I added.
"Moons?" Jake asked, clearly surprised.
I nodded. "The Yeerk home world has one. They call it Madra. No idea what it's like, as they kind of...well, you know the story about the Andalites and space flight. Exploring their moon probably wasn't high on the list."
"Guess not. Madra, huh? Kind of a pretty name."
"I'll tell Cassie you want to name your first daughter after it," I teased.
To my surprise, he snickered. "Knowing Cassie, she'd be more than okay with it."
"Then, you'll take your honeymoon there," I went on. "After the war is over. Who knows, there might be cool animals there to acquire."
Jake shrugged. "You never know. They say that Titan, one of Saturn's moons, could have life."
"Probably not Saturn, though," I noted, remembering eighth grade Astronomy, "because it's a gas planet."
"Poor Saturn," Jake retorted, smirking a little.
We sat watching the stars until neither of us could keep our eyes open. Then, we headed into the tent, and managed to find the energy to change into our PJs. The night was becoming so cold that I was glad for the extra blankets, not to mention Jake's warmth beside me. I held him close, protectively, until we fell asleep.
A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of Jake having a nightmare. I reacted as I usually did--gently shaking him until he woke up, and murmuring comforting words into his ears.
Once he realized he was safe from infestation or being killed or whatever he'd been suffering from in his dreams, he relaxed as I held him. I ran a hand over his back in small circles, which I knew was the best way to calm my kid brother down.
"It's okay," I soothed. "You're okay."
Jake shuddered. "It was me. Not Tobias."
Being tortured, he meant.
A recurring nightmare since the mission. Tobias hadn't gone into graphic details, but upon gentle pressing from me and Aftran, a week later, he'd described a machine that caused pain and pleasure. He'd been subjected to both on their own, and then a combination. If he'd been in his human body, it probably would have killed him.
"Oh, midget." I sighed, wishing I could say something else. Something more than I had already said.
Short of being able to destroy the AMR, Tobias had been the obvious choice. But we should have gotten to him sooner, cut his torture time to less than a minute. So much had gone wrong that it hardly seemed right to count the mission as a win.
I'd told Jake that Tobias had volunteered. That everyone had done the best they could under the circumstances. That Tobias would be okay (although I wasn't so sure about that).
What it came down to, though, was that they never should have been in this position. I blamed the Yeerks, but I also blamed Elfangor. He thought he was dying, but the Animorphs had demorphed and morphed far closer to death than he had been. He should have lived, and given the power to adults. Gone to the police. Even if a few had been Controllers, if Elfangor had lived and told his story and given the power to thousands, the Yeerk invasion would be long gone.
Of course, this raised the question of why the Animorphs didn't do the same. David showed them caution, sure, but most people weren't psychotic. Aftran was morph capable, and it helped, but she didn't fight and she was only one person.
Before I could pursue that line of thought further, Jake yawned, and curled up close to me.
"I know. It was just a nightmare."
He didn't want to talk about it.
I could understand.
"Back to bed?" I asked, softly.
Jake nodded, and once again, I wrapped my arms around him.
"Wake me if you need anything, okay?"
"I will," he promised, yawning. "Night."
"Night."
We slept in, rising after ten in the morning. I woke up first, driven by nature's call. When I returned to the tent, Jake was up, stretching, and looking a lot better than the previous night.
"Morning, midget," I greeted.
"Morning, Tom," he answered, with a slight smile.
I gestured at our surroundings. "Wanna eat first and then pack up, or pack up and then eat?"
"Eat first," he answered, immediately.
So we did, each consuming about four granola bars and a bottle of water. Fortified, we went about the process of packing up our campsite. Dad always said we should leave a vacation place nicer than how we left it, and while a campsite wasn't exactly a hotel room or rental house, I figured the same principle applied. It was after eleven before we were ready to head down the mountain, but at least the trip would be, well, downhill.
On our way back, we crossed paths with people going the opposite direction. Guess Saturday mid morning was the prime time for camping and hikes. Me, I'd had fun, but was looking forward to a hot shower and an actual bed. Sometimes, I thought the idea of camping sounded better than the actual event.
Unless you counted camping as trekking to a cabin, preferably with plumbing and heating and AC.
By the time we got to the car, despite the downhill walk and the slightly lighter packs, we were breathing heavier than usual, and I couldn't wait for the AC to kick in. Which reminded me...
"We still have the money Dad gave us. Want to stop at McDonalds for lunch and ice cream?" I offered.
"When have I ever said no to McDonalds and ice cream?" Jake quipped.
I rolled my eyes. "I'll take that as a yes."
We ate inside. I wondered if this McDonalds contained an entrance to the Yeerk Pool. Not all of them did--you had to remember. Or your Yeerk did, anyway. We were still a good ways from home, but the main Yeerk Pool (other cities and states had them, but ours was the central one) was still a half hour from home.
I wish I could say that food tasted different from the ones that contained entrances to hell for involuntary Controllers (which, technically, I still was), but it didn't.
Not much else of note happened on the way home. After we unpacked, I took Midget with me, and we got Aftran back. She was happy to see me, and I her.
(Have fun with Cassie?) I asked.
(We finished her homework on the first night. Went to a movie yesterday.) Aftran showed me the preview.
I gave her a good natured groan. (A chick flick?)
She gave me a mental shrug. (Rachel's idea. She was there, too.)
Of all of the Animorphs, I would have expected Rachel and Marco to hate Aftran the most. But Marco just teases Cassie about Aftran being her "Yeerk bestie" and I think Rachel is hoping that she can use Aftran to give Cassie a sense of fashion.
It's been working, sort of. Her jeans are a bit more stylish, now, and usually clean. Not that Jake cares--or notices.
(Did you and Jake have fun?) Cassie asked.
(Mostly. Jake had another nightmare,) I admitted.
Wasn't like she wouldn't know. Yeerks can avoid searching through your memory, but they can't avoid what Aftran calls "surface layer thoughts."
(Poor kid,) she murdered, and I could feel that she meant it.
In many ways, things had improved for Midget since "getting me back." But the war was ongoing, might go on for another ten years, and even if it ended tomorrow, he'd still have trauma.
They all would.
I would.
Sometimes, I hated the Yeerks for finding the planet. But I have come to realize it's not that simple. Cruel Yeerks, like the vissers and my old ones, were rare. Not that most were like Aftran. More in between. Of course, Aftran points out that while she was never intentionally cruel by Yeerk standards, before meeting Cassie, she would have been better than my old Yeerks, but not someone I would want in my head.
(The empire poisons Yeerks,) she tells me. (The older ones say that Prince Seerow didn't see any cages on our home planet. And Gedds aren't as dumb as people think. If they're been abused, they would have kept their heads above water, and told others to do.)
In short, they were symbiotic. Maybe, there were a few bad Yeerks that ruined it all. Maybe, the desire for a host made Yeerks care less about the happiness of their hosts, and the empire encouraged that.
I don't know how it began. I don't think anyone does.
But I hope our story gets a happy ending.
The end (for this fic!)
Author's note:
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