Aximili's Headache
Before, nobody would have been able to predict it. Nobody would have guessed. Not those who knew Aximili well… or even Aximili himself.
But however unexpected, however improbable, incidents have always – and will always – occur as they please. So did this one. And of course, according to the brilliant law of cause and effect, there would be consequences.
Although that is yet a problem for later, for any good story should start at the beginning, and so does this one. The beginning was one of the battles in the forest between the city where the Animorphs had lived, and the camp they now were trying to keep defended and hidden. But this battle would lead one Andalite along paths he had never imagined treading, hurl him through events he had never dreamt of undergoing, and see him through his own lies, his own treachery, and his own damnation…
Jake had given the order to retreat, and most of the Animorphs had complied, loping away as quickly as their wounds allowed, trying to find a safe place to demorph and remorph.
Rachel remained behind, of course, as usual caught in the thrill of battle. Aximili was beside her, tail flashing, and Jake was trying to convince her to turn and run, since she was in very bad shape.
But Rachel was refusing. I'm not leaving until I brought these guys down! she roared, charging wildly into the midst of the Hork-Bajir.
Rachel, there are too many! You're getting weakened, and we're leaving!
I'm not going to let a few minor bruises stop me!
A few minor bruises? Her grizzly fur was coated with blood. Her face was split right open. She had burns from dracons on her back and sides, and her right back paw was useless.
Aximili said nothing, knowing that Rachel wouldn't listen to him in any case when she was in this mood.
Rachel, we're not leaving you behind, Jake said, voice forced-calm. But it's not a good idea to stay.
Rachel roared and charged again, ignoring him. A Hork-Bajir blade swooped just over the top of her head, shortening her fur to millimetres. She barely noticed; she barely even noticed when she barrelled into and over the same Hork-Bajir.
You're putting us all in danger, Rachel! Time to go.
Rachel pulled back, stopped as if listening to someone else, and Aximili figured with a mental smile that Tobias was talking to her privately. Because then she shrugged, and leapt away, Jake following with a sigh or relief.
Ax! he snapped. Get moving!
I can run faster than any of you, Aximili replied calmly. I shall keep them back before I follow.
His Prince hesitated, glanced at him, but eventually agreed. We'll meet back at camp, he said. No heroics. Don't stay behind too long.
Yes, Prince Jake.
Aximili turned his attention back to the Hork-Bajir and his tail. He basically made sure none of them got past him to take up pursuit of his friends, and when he noticed that he was being pushed back too quickly, being overpowered by the numerous Controllers, he turned on his heels and ran for all he was worth.
Outrunning Hork-Bajir was not that hard. He was not even worried. He zigzagged to avoid their dracons, and fled in amongst the relative cover of the trees.
He had a bad cut across his foreleg, and pain shot through his knee every time he set the hoof down, but there was no time to worry about that. He chose a completely other direction from the one Jake and Rachel and the others had gone, to lead his pursuers off trail.
He never was quite sure what went wrong. One moment he was fleeing, certain to have an easy escape, and the next, he knew it was hopeless – Yeerk backup had arrived.
Bug fighters. Two of them.
Two was two too many.
A searchlight hit him and followed him through the trees, letting any Yeerk within two hundred meters know exactly where he was.
A chill sped through his hearts. The outcome was obvious even before the battle had begun. He stopped running, turned to meet the Controllers coming straight at him through the forest, and lifted his front leg to ease the pain in his knee.
He cocked his tail as calmly as ever. He attacked. But he hadn't even reached the Controllers when…
It hadn't really hurt. It was a small arrow, shot into his shoulder, and afterwards, when he thought about it, it hadn't really hurt. His arm, though, went instantly numb from the sedative in the arrow. The strange cold raced through him, and by the time he fell to the ground, it had already reached and taken over his mind.
Good day, Andalite.
That arrogant voice sent a half-aware Aximili staggering to his feet. He backed away a few steps, tried to localize himself… the previous events flooded back into him mind.
Where was he?
Ah. Of course. The Yeerk Pool. Where else?
Slept well, I trust? Visser One wondered innocently. Then laughed.
Drop the charade, Yeerk, Aximili spat. He noted the force field in front of him, noted the shackles that held his tail and hands in place behind his back, all with numbed senses, as if he was watching it all from somewhere far away. What do you want?
The Visser laughed again. What I want? he repeated. What do I want any day, Andalite? What have I wanted for the last couple of years?
You want your so-called Andalite bandits locked in a cage.
More laughter. Yes, that, too. But most of all I want the Andalite home world under Yeerk domination. His four stolen eyes glinted with malice. And thanks to you, I will have both… soon. As soon you are under Yeerk domination.
Aximili stopped himself from going pale at what the Abomination was hinting at. If you for a single moment think that –
Think what, Andalite? That your friends will try to free you? When that fails, try to avenge your infestation? Only to find themselves screaming with the rest of the hosts in those cages?! He motioned at the cages around them, glaring at Aximili with his steely gaze, tail twitching behind him. Any final words, Andalite, before you join our ranks?
Yes. Aximili couldn't stop his hands from shaking, and was glad they were hidden from view, behind his back. Whatever you do, you will not take my planet. Or Earth.
That's what the Hork-Bajir said, too, the Visser snapped. I have no further time to waste on you. Get him to the pool.
The last was aimed at a group of Hork-Bajir guards, who promptly took down the force field, grabbed hold of a wildly struggling Aximili and half-dragged, half-carried him to the infestation pier.
Aximili screamed and kicked and thrashed wildly in his captors' grip, but with his tail and hands tied, and no real power in his muscles since that drug he had been given hadn't completely let go yet, the Controllers won the battle.
His head was violently shoved beneath the surface of the pool. The sludgy water ran into his nose, and as he was panicking he forgot to hold his breath and breathed it straight into his lungs.
Something touched his ear, tentatively. Aximili's entire body shook, he made a last, desperate attempt to break free, but his head was held down firmly.
No! Let me go! Let me go!
The Yeerk felt around the edges of his ear. The lack of oxygen began to make Aximili dizzy.
Then there was a violent push at the edge of his ear, a surge of water and Aximili could have sworn the first Yeerk was being shoved away, but he had no time to consider it further.
Because suddenly a Yeerk was in his head.
NO!
Then he was let up, the Hork-Bajir had let go and he staggered back, drawing deep breaths and shaking, still screaming madly in open thought-speech, trying to free his hands to reach towards his ear, as the last of the Yeerk disappeared into it.
The privilege of screaming was quickly taken away from him, as the Yeerk stretched out over his brain, connected to his synapses, and took over.
Soon, even the trembling subsided. He stood still, felt his hands moving in their shackles, knew it wasn't him moving them. Felt his tail being twitched experimentally, knew it wasn't him twitching it.
No no no no… get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU FILTHY YEERK! OUT! OUT! OUT!
Stop screaming, a voice said lowly, in the back of his mind.
"Sub-Visser Fifteen, are you in control yet?" a Hork-Bajir asked in Galard, an important, haughty expression on his face. "The Visser awaits your report. Where are the rebels hiding?"
Aximili kept screaming in his own mind, oblivious to what was going on around him. GET OUT! GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE! I'LL NEVER –
Oh, please just stop screaming!
Aximili was beyond listening. I WON'T BETRAY THEM! I WON'T LET YOU KNOW ANYTHING! I WON'T –
Stop it!! the voice cried.
OUT! OUT! OUT, I SAID, FILTHY YEERK! LEAVE ME ALONE!
"Well?" the Hork-Bajir Controller said. "The Visser is waiting. It is not wise to keep the Visser waiting."
LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT! OUT!
"Sub-Visser, where are the rebels?" the Hork-Bajir repeated.
LEAVE ME AL–
STOP SCREAMING OR I'LL TELL THEM! that voice in his head bellowed back at him. The voice of the Yeerk. YOU HEARD ME, ANDALITE? STOP SCREAMING OR I'LL TELL THEM EVERYTHING THEY WANT TO KNOW!
Aximili silenced.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
Well, he's not exactly voluntary yet, but trust me, he will be. *evil smile*
But you'll only get to read that if you review and ask me to post it.