Post by Admin on Sept 23, 2009 18:32:48 GMT -5
Rian:
Rian looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a little ridiculous. The tux he was wearing was a little big on him though he was surprised to find that there wasn't that much extra space. He had grown since becoming an animorph. Training in hand to hand with Luce hadn't hurt either.
But as much as he wished he was going as himself tonight he knew that it was time to put his real disguise on. He closed his eyes and did the demorph/remorph that would make him the controller he had acquired at the LA yeerk pool.
Once he was done, the tux now fitting perfectly, he stepped out of the men's room of the casino across the street from the tower where the party was being held. The others were already in the air around the building leaving just him, Ember, Chloe and Diana on the ground.
Diana:
Diana was used to gowns and dresses. In fact, 90% of the time they were twice as voluminous and gaudy as the one she wore now. It was the cousin of the evening gown that she had donned, a tasteful but alluring cocktail dress. And heels. Mon Dieu, she loved heels. Her smile was a bit more conservative than usual, despite being in her element, though. Nervousness had set in and it had been a while since Diana had been involved in an important mission.
When Rian, in his controller morph, approached looking particularly handsome and dapper, the girlish, teenage part of her giggled.
"You girls ready?"
Diana was practically born in a cocktail dress. She was ready for this. Looking towards her more seasoned teammates, the little French girl waited for them to verbally respond.
Rian:
Rian smiled self consciously at Diana's giggle. Despite the fact that he knew they were going into yeerk territory tonight, that they were putting themselves in danger, he couldn't help feeling excited.
He looked over at Diana. She wasn't morphed since no controller would recognize her. He didn't know where she had managed to find a dress for this event but she looked great in it. And he was glad to have her along because he felt like he had no idea what to do at a party like this.
"It feels like the prom none us got to have, don't you think?"
Diana:
"It feels like the prom none us got to have, don't you think?"
'Except for the sneaking around people infested with slugs part, oui.' Diana shouldn't laugh, but it was in her nature. Her softness, at least in her mind, set her apart from most of the other female Animorphs. Sure Diana had her share of hurt, but it wasn't something she dwelled on. And it wasn't denial, which is a bit ironic on her part, but Diana simply wasn't that kind of person. Better to focus on the now. All that jazz.
The curly-haired girl looked again the Rian, in morph, in all his handsome glory, and spoke playfully.
"If this is our prom, monsieur, I shall ask you to dance in my native tongue. It is the language of love, non?" Diana paused before a joking curtsy. "Voulez-vous danser, mon capitaine?"
With another short laugh, she added, "Of course you don't have to now, in the street. Perhaps later?"
Sure, there was a mission to be done. But why not have fun (and make a convincing performance) out of it as well?
Rian:
"Sure. To the dance that is. I'm not sure how much of what we'll be doing will involve dancing. Actually I'm not sure what we'll be doing. I guess we'll just be trying to blend in. There is supposed to be some sort of big announcement at this party but before that we are going to be mixing it up with some of the highest ranked controllers in this city and even some from around the world so let's make sure we have our stories straight."
He looked around at the assembled group. He had asked each of them to come up with a yeerk name and a brief background of the character they were going to be playing. They had already gone over these details before but he wanted one last run through before their acting skills were put to a deadly test.
"Who is everyone tonight?"
Chloe:
Chloe was standing with Rian and the others, still a little unsure of whether or not she understood exactly what was going on. All she new for sure was that they were about to enter a large party full of many MANY powerful controllers. Chloe was scared. No doubt about that. She was only standing here because of Rian. If he wasn't here... well, Chloe didn't know what she would do. She wouldn't have anywhere to live, thats for sure. And she's probably still be a slave to... her addiction.
They were almost ready to go in. Chloe was trying to hide how much she didn't want to go in there. Last time she had been in a room with controllers had been a horror. It was before Chloe gained primary control, just at the beginning of Essi 009's oatmeal addiction. Skarth 217 (aka Parker) and Essi 009 had gone to a party together and Essi 009 had put Chloe's body into this hidious pink dress.
It went well, until Essi and Skarth began talking about Chloe's parents. Chloe snapped. She forced her mind to overpower Essi's for the first real time that night. Essi barely made it out before Chloe came through, but the yeerk's in that room would never forget, and Essi would never forgive.
Finally, Chloe's mind came back to the task at hand. Someone in the faction had found her a dress for the occasion. It was, in Chloe's opinion, an ugly golden thing.She would have never picked it for herself, but Essi would have liked it, and she needed to do everything possible to keep conver.
She had sort of assumed that she would be keeping her cover as Essi 009, since it was very likely that people in there would recognize her. Maybe she should be sure though. "I'm still going to be pretending to be Essi, right?" she asked, hoping she wouldn't have to create an identity on the fly and risk all their necks.
Ember:
No Ember thought sarcastically, You're going as the queen of england. Outwardly she rolled her eyes but made sure Rian didn't see. She had been trying her best to keep her scathing comments about Chloe to herself but it was proving difficult as the girl kept showing up everywhere. It was impossible to see Rian without her being there too...
But tonight. Ember smiled, even though it wasn't through her own lips. Tonight Diana wasn't the only one who wanted a dance. Although she'd been to these functions before and she doubted if it would be much more than standing around and rubbing shoulders with semi-important people. Her parents used to drag her to these things all the time. She'd twirl around, flirt with the sons of CEO's and generally try to make a good appearance. It was dull, and boring, and usually she ended up skipping out the back to drink with the kitchen staff.
But they were on a mission, she reminded herself. As though she could forget though... in this body. The dress she'd bought from her waitress earnings at the MGM Grand wasn't at the same caliber of what she used to have in LA, but it was beautiful nontheless and she was sure, in this body especially, Rian would take notice.
Rian:
Rian saw Ember come out of the bathroom and didn't recognize her. Well of course he didn't recognize her, not that she would recognize him either. It was unsettling to see the unfamiliar face and know that it was Ember underneath. He was glad he had Chloe and Diana around, looking like themselves, to ground him. And he looked forward to this night being over. He wanted to see Ember as Ember again, the Ember that he knew.
He sighed. "Yup Chloe, you're going as Essi. And I'm going as Charlie/ Tif 345, figure I can remember those numbers," he said, making fun of himself a bit, "and what are your code names he asked looking at Diana and Ember? He knew them, had spent too many nights waking up out of a nightmare where he'd forgotten them to not know them. But he just wanted to be careful.
If there was one thing he had learned so far it was that no plan survived first contact with the enemy. That's why they were called the enemy. So he wanted to have as many bases covered as were in his control to cover
Diana:
Diana's mind flashed back to the paper that was probably still sitting on her bed, crumpled and littered with unnecessary pen marks. Being a particular person, it was hard for her to settle on a name.
"Osniac 538, I think." Diana wrinkled her nose, "It will do, I suppose."
Yeerk names were everything but easy to pronounce. The words certainly did not roll of her tongue. She nodded, saying her cover name again for confirmation.
Ember:
Ha Ha! Ember grinned inwardly as she caught sight of Rian's... or whoever he was now, as his jaw dropped when she entered the room. Priceless.
It was like being in costume together, anything could happen because on the surface level... well they didn't have to be themselves. Maybe tonight she could get him to loosen up a bit, play along with her for awhile... They could be two completely different people and forget anything and anyone that might have come between them recently. After all, a mask gives a person an excuse to be truthful.
Ember's head swam with thoughts of dances and masques, that is, until Rian's pressing question popped her thought bubble. "Oh, ah, right." She ran a hand through her hair, remembering the name she'd come up with. Since LA, when Jules had come up with a name for her that sounded close to her own, she'd borrowed different variations in an effort to come up with something that would stick. Usually she'd put as many E's and M's in it as possible. This time she had something so easy it would be impossible to forget. "I'll be going as Emra 113." It sounded so much like her real name that if someone said it to her she'd probably react naturally. After all, that's what always catches the spies in the movies, when someone shouts their name but they don't respond because it's something too different than what they know.
She smiled impishly, imagining herself as a spy going undercover. "On second thought, maybe I should be Bond 007? I think it rolls off the tongue don't you?" Ember winked slyly at Rian, enjoying herself way too much.
Rian:
Good, everyone knew who they were. Ok then.
"Then it's show time." He pulled out the box that he had been saving. They were his gifts to the girls. He hadn't shown them before because he didn't want them to think of this as a party, as a fun affair. But if they were going to fit in here they would need one more disguise, one more mask.
He opened the box to show them the masks he had made. Tonight's little party was to be a masquerade and they would need them. But these masks weren't just pieces of fluff bought at the nearest pawn shop. Rian had made each one himself. And even though he was a terrible artist and couldn't draw to save his life, he was quite a good craftsman. He had mostly concentrated on whittling before, making the masks had been a new experience for him and he had quite liked it.
Each mask had been made specifically for each person. His own was green, Ember's of course was red, Diana's was a gold color and Chloe's was in blues. He was surprised to find that he was nervous about whether they would like them or not especially Ember. He had spent a lot of time on hers.
So he handed each young woman their mask and waited a moment but then he decided that he was too scared of a bad reaction and fell back into serious mode. He cleared his throat, "So I guess it is time to go." He then offered his arm to Diana, "Shall we?" he said with a charming smile that was more than a little silly the gesture itself seeming to inspire it, his eyes laughing from behind the mask.
He looked worriedly at Ember and Chloe. There was tension between the two and he wasn't sure why. He thought he might know, but he wasn't %100 sure, so he was trying his best to stay out of it. He hoped that whatever was going on they would work it out. He needed both of them. And he liked both of them. Maybe it was naive but he wanted all his friends to be friends with each other. Chloe could be really cool and easy to talk to and Rian didn't understand why Ember didn't see it too.
But whatever. He had learned quickly enough the age old male tactic for dealing with such things. Play dumb. It was quite an effective strategy and could be adapted to any situation. In this case he pretended that there was no tension, no situation to fix. By doing this he gave both Ember and Chloe the honor of trusting that they could handle it, they were both reasonable after all.
And it allowed him to avoid getting in the middle of whatever it was. But he knew that if he walked with either of them, even across the street, that would count as taking sides somehow. He didn't know why but he knew that it would be seen as taking sides somehow because girls were insane that way (he felt an acute appreciation for Stevert, Drake and Ray).
But Diana was not acting oddly around him and all in all a much safer and neutral choice. Plus he hadn't seen her in a while except in passing around the Den. He wanted to use the opportunity to catch up.
So as they were headed across the street and joined the small crowd that was slowly filing into the building he asked, "Are you nervous about tonight at all?"
But even as he said it he directed his thoughts upward. <<Are we all clear up there?>>
Ray:
<<Aside from a bunch of the most powerful alien slugs to ever walk the earth?>> Ray asked trying to lighten what was probably the most tense mood he'd been in. <<Crystal clear. No one looks hostile yet, but I know a couple yeerks that'll be in big trouble because they are already clearly drunk.>>
Ray took flight from his perch atop the adjacent building and flew around the large tower, making certain he didn't get very close to the building and kept from flying directly over the crowd. The last thing the yeerks needed to be thinking about were the birds flying directly over their heads. The pigeon desperatly wanted to go further inspect the party just as much as Ray wanted to, but it's main goal was to grab a snack from someone rather than spy on them in hopes of one day bringing down an evil inter-gallactic regime.
Ember:
Ember beamed as Rian handed her the mask. It was beautiful, and had ten times more detail to it than the other girl's. Plus it was her favorite shade, the one that matched with her LA morphing suit's waist band. Although, she couldn't help but laugh a little at how if they stood together she and Rian would look like christmas ornaments.
Unfortunately there wasn't much time to glow over her gift. They were on a mission after all... so she tied it on herself and started walking after them across the street. She was left with Chloe as a walking partner, but luckily they were quickly separated by the large crowd entering the party. With that distraction gone, Ember was able to focus on what was about to happen.
Four humans, one without morphing ability, two already in morphs that would need someplace to change in less than two hours, and one who was just starting out in her experience with fighting controllers. If anything went wrong, if she and Rian got trapped or figured out... if Diana or Chloe gave themselves away... if just one of them didn't remember their name! Oh god. Ember's heart galloped. This wasn't like the other missions, which were mostly smash and grab types... this was stealth. And the last time Ember had tried stealth... she shuddered, still remembering how scared Jullian had looked when he had been trapped by hork-bajir on all sides and she- she just ran....
What if she ran again? What if something went wrong and Rian got captured?
...what if it was Chloe?
Would she do anything at all? Ember squeezed through some people in the crowd to rejoin the three others as they got into the main line. Her heart hadn't slowed at all, and these questions kept nagging at her conscious until she couldn't even look around at them. She just focused on nothing, and was glad the mask would hide the fear in her eyes.
Alora:
Alora gazed dispassionately around the party, standing at the far edges of the room behind the shadow of a pillar.
"Ugh... how boring." Vanim muttered underneath her breath, leering as a servant with an appetizer trey walked past. "Frivolous dribble. Masks and dresses, who do these yeerks think they are? Gambling and drinking like over developed apes, making fucking fools of themselves." Her breath hissed from between her tightly clenched jaw. She'd forgotten even why she'd come tonight. Of course the opportunity to ruin a party for someone like Orran was too good a chance to pass by, so she'd slit the throat of a woman standing outside and taken her place. But now it all seemed so meaningless. They hadn't even properly discovered the body yet... although they would once they took the deserts from the freezer. Which meant there was still hours of mind numbing shoulder-rubbing to endure. And Orran hadn't even shown up yet!
The other controllers, the ones she'd seen when she'd broken into his office, were most certainly in the crowd but she'd yet to notice them. It was the damn masks, making everyone look like the same over stuffed mannequins with sequins plastered to their noses. The woman she's replaced was wearing a gaudy peacock feathered one, but while she was holding it in her hands she'd picked off the vibrant feathers, leaving nothing but spiked white stems sticking out like needles along the black frame.
Adele:
Of course later she would like to have blamed Isath 165 for their late, albeit fashionable arrival to the gala hosted and attended by any controller who could look like they were wealthy enough to be there. Adele argued with Sazoirl---it was also her fault for having such a wonderfully kissable mouth. The passion of the two hosts was overwhelming and it had caused them to keep their driver waiting just under 47 minutes for his superiors to descend from their penthouse.
Sazoril smiled like she knew Adele would; coy and sexy. Erik, looking smashing, though lacking a tie, kept his consistent countenance of mild amusement. Masque balls were definitely something to see, Adele had insisted to her Yeerk. Sazoirl wondered briefly which one of her kin had swayed under the influence of their host to organize such an event, but the thought passed when the car stopped in front of the entrance.
Sazoirl, or Adele, rather, gave her husband a sideways glance, her eyes filled with mischief, and slid the simple navy silk ball mask to cover her eyes. It was conservatively studded with small diamonds to emulate starlight. Erik's was jet black, matching hers in its simplicity. It was time for some fun.
Sedra:
Sedra's ride over to Vegas had been full of silence. She had spent most of it watching the dark desert scenery flash by as the car sped down the highway, away from Area 51. The desert was so peaceful during the night. It was one of the reasons why she enjoyed working so far away from Las Vegas sometimes. She was able to enjoy the simplicity that the desert offered. Yet, nothing could beat returning to Las Vegas at night. From so far away, the city looked like a dusting of glittering light, laid across a black blanket of desert.
Once they had arrived in the city, Sedra stopped briefly at her house to put on her dress, grab her mask, and get ready. She wasn't particularly looking forward to this night, but she was definitely looking forward to having some free alcohol. Of all the human vices, she found that was one of the hardest ones to resist. However, she was also curious about the big announcement that was rumored at this party.
The place already looked busy as they arrived, with Controllers slowly wandering into the entrance. Gracefully, Sedra stepped out of her car, smoothing her hands down the dress she was wearing. At Catherine's urging--something about looking dressy--Sedra had spent some time curling and doing her hair, pulling part of it back with an ornate clip. The rest of the outfit had been Sedra's idea.
Her eyes scanned quickly over the crowd, looking for familiar faces. By this time, most controllers already had their masks, which made it hard to really know who was attending. With one last glance to her driver pulling away, Sedra turned and began her walk inside. As she did, she fastened the mask to her face.
Chloe:
Chloe thought she saw Ember roll eyes. She realized it was a stupid question, but better safe than sorry, right? She could understand the hostility Ember must feel toward her. Ember still didn't know that Chloe had been consious for part of her talk with Luce. She had been doing everything in her power to stay out from between Rian and Ember, but she had no other friends to talk to, which made it kind of hard.
Her thoughts were interupted when the controller that was really Rian handed the three of them Each a mask. Oh my god. It's gorgeous. Chloe was staring at it for a long time before she looked up and realized that everyone had started moving. Rian and Diana were in the front, and she was stuck in the back with the controller that was really Ember . Something about Ember's current face looked oddly familiar.
The friendly part of her brain tried to convice her to say something to Ember, but the reasonable part knew better. Best not to start any kind of fight, even one of silence. Chloe followed the flow of people into the building, sliding the beautiful blue mask onto her face. She wondered if she should have done it sooner, like before she got into the crowd, but it was unlikely that anyone would notice her. Or, at least, that's what she was hoping.
Ember:
Ember's breathing was shallow as the swarms of colorful controllers shifted around her, each moving just a little too fast for her to keep up. She felt like she was going to break control any second and just flip out in the middle of the crowd.
Stupid stress. She'd never had this problem before... but maybe after so long in seclusion with only a few close friends nearby had had an effect on her. Back before she used to love being in crowds and having everyone talking and chatting at once, but now it was giving her a migraine.
"Don't freak out.." Ember muttered under her breath, trying to smile as sharply as the controllers. Of course each of them was just as tense as she was, although not for the same reasons. As they passed through the main hall, up the elevator and out into one of the main rooms where everyone was milling around the drink and food tables, Ember could practically feel the gossip stinging the air. All of them were shooting daggers at each other, sizing themselves against their competition. And she was starting to get a nagging suspicion that a lot of the nastiest looks were being directed at her...
"So." She moved to stand next to Rian "What now?"
But before he could answer a man in an expensive tuxedo climbed the stairs to the platform that was being shown on a large television on the other side of the floor. He tapped the microphone a few times, then commenced the opening speech.
Finally. Maybe now they could figure out what was going on and get out of here.
Rian:
Rian had stayed close to his little ka-tet of animorphs. After seeing only the same 8 or so people everyday, being in the middle of a crowd was a little disconcerting. Even when he went to work at the bar he still had a barrier between him and the customers. But now he was in the thick of it and he found his desire for pleasant chat with his friends drained away by the hostile atmosphere.
The guards at the doors had been brusque and suspicious as Rian had shown them their invitations and even the people organizing the line to the elevators, which had been replaced with much faster drop shafts, had been slightly rude. He wondered at that. Weren't they technically of a lower rank so shouldn't they be in fear for their lives if they pissed off a high ranking controller, of which there was an abundance here tonight.
But maybe they were afraid of someone else. That thought didn't comfort him any.
The party it turned out was on multiple levels of the tower. The highest level, the one that had been a restaurant, was where a lot of the most vicious politiking seemed to be going on. It was also set up for the announcement though he guessed that would be broadcasted through out the whole party.
Rian and his posse were currently watching the really high ranks on TV in fact. A giant TV that was set up in the Polly Esther's night club. Club was a bad word for a space that covered 26,000 square feet of space, had more specialized/ themed rooms than a hospital and had more lights that Rian knew existed. The animorphs were standing on the Saturday Night Fever Dance floor or so a sign still proclaimed. He had no idea why it was called that but maybe the disco ball hanging above them was a clue.
The lights were low and actually most of it came from the floor which was made up of clear glass panels. Purple light shone up from it currently though a moment ago it had been blue. There was some music playing, but unlike in a real night club, it was not deafening nor was it human if he had to guess.
There was another level that Rian was strongly retiring to that was a huge bar. The bar itself was in the center of a circular floor and there were chairs all around it. Then there were smaller tables and more chairs set up around those. Then the walls were covered in yet more tv screens. Apparently the yeerks hadn't bothered to switch them over to holographic generators. In fact the yeerks hadn't changed much about this place.
The C-Bar would provide a good a place as any to watch the announcements, maybe better than here. It was better lit for one and it had more screens than just the one. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to fight his way through the crowds to get back to the drop shaft.
And he wasn't exactly sure how to work it, nor was anyone else except maybe Chloe. It was a wonder that they had all ended up on the same floor even though none of them had been able to pick the floor, hence the Saturday Night Fever. And he wasn't sure where else they would wind up. He knew that there was a casino on another level. It was Vegas, there had to be a casino. And the C-bar was on a level as well. From his research he also knew that this was a hotel with all the usual extravagant amenities. It would be easy to get lost and get separated.
"We stay here," he said as there was a murmur of excitement through the crowd. Rian turned and looked at the screen across the room. A man in a tuxedo was getting up to a microphone on a raised platform that was either located on the top floor or on the roof, Rian couldn't tell which since there was a large inspirational banner behind the platform, something about the Empire and giant leap forward and all the usual nonsense.
Rian hoped this was what they had come for but as the man began to speak Rian realized he was a lackey, not the main speaker. He was talking about how hard the yeerks had struggled and how far they had come. In short he was a living version of the poster behind him. If there was to be an important announcement it wouldn't come from him.
Rian turned to look at the others around him. They all looked a little strained. Not something one might notice unless all you could see of them were their eyes. Then you paid attention more to their eyes and then you might notice the pinched look they had about them. This had to be especially hard on Chloe and he smiled to try to comfort her and then turned back to look at Ember.
"Yeah, I guess we stay here."
Bryan:
Bryan sat in one of the chairs in the C-Bar and watched the plasma screen tv's with a look of mild interest that was the mask most underlings adopted around their superiors. He sipped sparingly at a drink of some sort, he had asked the bartender to make it for him, and kept his eyes on the tv while he let his mind take in what was happening in his peripheral vision.
He spotted something of interest and turned to regard a young woman, though older than him, seemingly intent on plucking her mask as one might see a girl plucking flower petals hoping that it would land on 'love me'. Except the look on this woman's face was not hopeful or anxious. Instead it was bored. And Bryan had the feeling that this was someone that was not nice when bored...esecially when bored. She would make her own fun and it wouldn't be fun for anyone else.
Bryan didn't know why he got up and walked over to her. Maybe he was lonely. Well he knew he was lonely. That was what had led to his disastrous run in with the animorphs in Vancouver. But after that, after what the girl had said to him, Bryan had not just felt lonely he had also felt lost.
Before, it had been ok that he was alone. He had been a solitary knight charging bravely into the dragon's lair, fighting a world filled with darkness. Yes he was lonely, but he was also Chosen. He had a purpose, and when he accomplished it his reward would be great.
But the incident with the cat girl had made him doubt himself. And for that, if he ever found her again, he would kill her. You're a murderer, and you're hiding behind excuses!" The words still stung him whenever he remembered them.
And he wanted to forget them, put them behind him. Killing in the name of God was not a sin. If so then the angels themselves sinned and angels were pure, they didn't sin. The fallen ones have, the voice of doubt whispered in his mind.
Satan's voice, the Deceiver. Nothing more. But no matter what he did he couldn't drive it out. Maybe he needed someone else to do it for him. Maybe if he saw someone who was truly evil he would again be able to see that he was good.
Maybe that was why he approached her.
"Good evening miss."
Tenaj:
Tenaj felt warmer than she was used to. Her host, Janet, had never really been down south much, and she hadn't been in Las Vegas for too long. So, she assumed it was her host not used to the weather of Vegas. She'd deal with it.
After all this project was surely to get her promoted. And being her as Visser 12's representative surely meant that it would end in promotion. After hearing she could not make it, she gladly accepted the offer to take her place.
She looked around in the crowd. All of them with masks.....what was even the point? She didn't bother to have one on, it was ridiculus. She was walking through the crowd, waiting for when it was her turn up there. It seemed a lot of controllers were intimatated by her presence, which wasn't surprising.
Though she happened to see someone she recognized just walking in, her mask not on completely yet. She walked up to her. "Sedra, nice to see you again," she told her as she came up, that sly smile showing on her face. "Just arriving?"
Alora:
"Good evening yourself." Alora snapped, not bothering to look up at who was talking to her. He was probably another sniveling controller trying to make himself seem more important, or more daring, by being near her. It was sickening, and she didn't have the mood to tolerate it.
But he didn't go away. Didn't shrink back and apologize or go scurrying off to another corner. He merely stood there... she could feel his eyes on her, unflinching. That peaked her interest. She raised her eyes from her destroyed mask, her emerald gaze flashing in the dim light as they met his. For a moment neither of them moved. Then she arched an eyebrow, "Well? What do you want?" He was young, but who could tell how old his yeerk was or what rank? Some had odd choices for hosts and she had a feeling that this young man was not all he appeared to be. He held too much of an air of confidence, self assurance, as well as a look in the corner of his eye that betrayed how much he felt superior to everyone else in the room.
Vanim was immediately attracted. In a micro second her entire demeanor shifted, although she still held that haughtily arched brow, but now it was more to get his measure than to actually ward him away. She wanted to pry into his mind and find out exactly who he was and why, out of all the people here, he'd chosen to talk to the most vicious, life threatening, woman.
Adele:
The party was bustling with dozens of ways to be entertained and Adele and Erik Nash wasted no time telling their Yeerks that they needed to find a bar. Sazoirl reluctantly approached the first one they found and ordered a glass of the most expensive thing that the barkeep offered. With a smile, she looped her fingers loosely with Erik's who stood next to her sipping a glass of sherry. The amber liquid that slid down Adele's throat settled warmly in her throat and both human and Yeerk felt themselves begin to relax.
Sazoirl looked through Adele's eyes, past her ball mask, and at one of the many televisions mounted on the wall. She huffed dismissively at the drone babbling on about the glory of the empire. 'I mean, really? Do you need to remind us?'
The focus of her attention shifted as Adele's focus changed. It was that feeling that she recognized something, but could not figure out what or why. It was just a group of Controllers. A frown formed on her face in discontent, but Isath distracted her with an off-handed comment about the speaker and she dismissed the nagging feeling that plagued her memory. Erik planted a small, conservative kiss on Adele's cheek as they watched the speech flow out of the mouth of a fool. They both knew of the announcement and a little of what it entailed. It was big, that was for sure and there was no doubt that there would be a great deal of work ahead of them.
<<For the Empire.>>
<<You sound less that energetic. Is the drink too much for you, slug? No---I know you. That's not it is, it?>>
Sazoirl ignored her host and denied Adele a rebuttal.
Sedra:
From beneath her mask, Sedra calmly watched the controllers in front of her. Most of the lower ranking controllers were trying to avoid being near Sedra, which she found amusing. Half of them were already slightly drunk and acting stupid. The others just looked nervous.
As she was lining up to enter the building, she heard a familiar voice call her name. Glancing sideways, Sedra spotted who it was--Tenaj. Her mask hid the surprise she felt at seeing the Sub-Visser here, in Las Vegas. It didn't seem too long ago that she had been in Chicago, talking with Tenaj about the projects there. Of course, the announcement happening here was going to be big. Sedra straightened, a small smile forming underneath her mask. Tenaj, it seemed, hadn't bothered to join in the festivities and wear one.
<<She's missing out on the fun,>>Catherine said. She had been in a strangely talkative mood lately, ever since the meeting with the Animorphs. Sedra was still bothered by what had last happened there, but that was what the alcohol was for. Forgetting. And if the night was going to be pleasant, she would tolerate her host's chatter.
"So pleasant to see you, Sub-Visser. Yes, just now arrived." The smile was gone now, replaced by a faint frown. "What brings you to Las Vegas...?" Even though the two controllers were on good terms, Sedra wasn't happy that another Sub-Visser was around here in Las Vegas--even if it was Tenaj. It meant more competition, and the night would already be full of lots of high-rank controllers clashing. However, at least Tenaj would provide more company than just Sedra's host.
"How is the project, in Chicago? I assume Kiejen435 has done a wonderful job assisting you?" She asked. Kiejen had been the controller Sedra had sent along with the birth mothers project. Sedra had had to deal with the loss of one of her great scientists at Area 51, but Kiejen had needed to go. She trusted him to do his job right.
Tenaj:
Tenaj noticed Sedra seemed a bit surprised at her appearance. But who could blame her? Tenaj didn't frequent Vegas often. Though she had to in this case.
IT was nice to see Sedra. It meant it was someone to talk to before she had to make the announcement. She answered Sedra as the walked into the building. "Yes nice to see you too. Well, I'm here because Visser 12 could not make it. So I'm here in her place."
She then smiled at the mention of the birth-mothers. "Ah yes....them," she started off. "Its going well. Though, we have had fewer subjects than we would like, so we're beginning to collect some more."
"As for Kiejen435....he is doing what is needed. I have no complaints." she told Sedra. "How about you? What have you been up to in Vegas?"
She looked around at the crowd. She didn't really recognize many other controllers. Like she would want to anyway. There were probably more Sub-Vissers here than just her and Sedra. Though it mattered not. She was the one here on behalf of Visser 12, not them.
Sedra:
"Visser 12 couldn't make it? Pity," Sedra said mildly. There wasn't any real sadness in her voice, as she had no love for the Vissers. They may have gotten to the rank of Visser, but it didn't mean they deserved it. As they walked, Sedra gave Tenaj a sideways glance. "So will you be making the announcement in her place?" She hadn't realized Tenaj even knew the Visser.
"Good, I thought he would be helpful." It was good news hearing that that project was still going well over in Chicago. She had been worried that all the extra activity at the John Hancock Building would have caught the local Animorphs' attention, but apparently it hadn't. Hopefully it stayed that way. She was hoping that a promotion on Tenaj's end would end up as a promotion for Sedra as well.
As Tenaj asked what she had been doing in Vegas, Sedra turned her gaze away and fingered a bead that was glued on her mask. "Yes, well. I haven't been visiting the city a lot, lately. I've been busy at the facility. We've been testing a couple updated versions of the dracon beam. There's also reconstruction being done on the medical part of my facility."
<<You aren't going to tell her about your meeting with the Animorphs?>> Catherine asked. Sedra chose to ignore her, her outward expression calm. She didn't want to think about that meeting at all tonight, and her host wasn't going to force her to.
The two Sub-Vissers joined the throng of controllers around a bar. Ignoring the other controllers that were moving away from the two of them, Sedra took a seat and ordered herself a strong drink. She looked to Tenaj, adjusting her mask. "Would you join me, Sub-Visser?" She could hear the announcer already speaking, but maybe Tenaj would have enough time for a drink or two.
Tenaj:
"Yes it is a pity," Tenaj said in about the same tone. She was actually glad she couldn't be here. It meant this was a chance for Tenaj to step up, and possibly be promoted. She nodded to Sedra. "Yes, I am going to be making the announcement," she told her.
"Yes, he has been quite useful," she commented. The birth-mother project had been operating smoothly. She could almost smell the promotion that was to come soon from it.
"I see," she said in regards to what she had been up too. "Well, at least it sounds things have been going smoothly for you again," Though it seemed there was something more, but Tenaj wasn't going to bother asking.
Soon they reached a bar and she watched Sedra sit down. "Hmm....I guess I could have one, before I have to go up," she told her, sat down, and ordered a drink.
Bradon:
"Not late, am I?" inquired Sub-Visser 52, a smile creasing his host's face jovially. His eyes were obscured by a plain black mask - one that rather reminded Brandon of the Nightwing comics he'd read as a child. Instead of being dressed in his usual navy suits, he was dressed in a black tuxedo - though the shirt beneath was a black dress shirt, white a pearly white tie. The Sub-Visser held out his invitation casually, then returned it to his pocket. It had been too long since he'd been to Vegas. It was a pleasant turn after being in Vancouver.
<<Mmmf.>> scoffed Brandon, clearly disapproving of the party.
<<You usually think I'm the one needing to lighten up.>> sneered Bidaut in response. <<We're having fun tonight. Despite what you think, we Yeerks do enjoy the occasional festivity.>>
<<Oh, yes.>> returned Brandon, venom and sarcasm in the words. <<Celebrating enslavement is SO festive!>>
Bidaut made Brandon's mouth smile, strolling into the crowd of controllers to mingle. Though not particularly high-ranked compared to many in attendance, Sub-Visser 52 was well-known for his charming demeanor.
Sedra:
"Great," She said, pleased that she could join Sedra for a moment. Dark blue eyes shifted from Tenaj to the entrance, watching as more controllers filed into the place, faceless bodies underneath their masks. She didn't particularly like not knowing exactly who was here. It made her feel less in control of the situation, unable to gauge simple things like expressions or recognize faces. However, she had a feeling she knew at least one controller was here, mixing in the crowd somewhere. She frowned.
Turning her attention away from the mass of controllers, Sedra nodded to the Sub-Visser. "Yes, yes. It's nice to have some peace now. There hasn't been much Animorph activity." She paused. "Lately." Absently, she touched a finger to her shoulder, tracing along where there was a light, pink scar. It was from when the Animorphs had attacked the dracon grenades, when they had purposefully crashed her SUV into a building. The cut had been deep, and although Yeerk medicine was advanced by human standards, there was still a mark.
"I'm assuming you're involved? Or are you just announcing it?" Sedra asked casually. She was wondering how connected to the Visser Tenaj really was. The drink had come now, and she curled her fingers around the bottom of the cool glass. Her eyes were fixed on the liquid inside. "You must be honored." She lifted the drink, pressing it to her lips and taking a drink. It was good, crisp with a tint of lime, and warm in her belly. She took another gulp.
Her eyes flicked up to Tenaj, the corner of her lip upturned. There had been a lot of buzz about it this night from all the other controllers. "I've heard little about this whole thing, but I think I have an idea on what it's about."
Adele:
Adele, loose-lipped and a bit tipsy, planted a kiss firmly on the side of her husband's cheek and left him at the bar. She smiled as she went, still managing to balance perfectly on her heels.
<<You're insane. How could you possibly enjoy this?>>
<<Practice, slug. It's not like I'm a drunk.>> A giggle interrupted her thoughts. <<At least not all the time. It's just some fun.>>
<<Maybe for you.>> Sazoirl protested, but it did not stop her from grabbing a glass of champagne on the way to the floor above the bar. It's all about appearances, baby. As Sazoirl reached her destination, she scanned the room. The room was crowded, but not as crowded as it could be if there was more free alcohol floating about. She saw several people she did not care to recognize (not that it was easy to recognize much of anyone in all the masks), a curly-haired girl in a red dress here, one with dark hair in a gold gown there. Adele sighed. This party was significantly lacking in things she could flirt with and Erik didn't count. She always flirted with him.
<<Allow me to reiterate.>> The scowl in Sazoirl's voice was undoubtedly present. <<You're insane. The Empire is thankful that you're the only you on this planet.>>
Brandon:
Bidaut was scanning faces - steering clear of those he'd rather not speak to and weighing whether or not to engage others in idle chatter. He stopped Brandon's intense eyes on a pretty blond woman, and Bidaut focused only on her because Brandon seemed to notice. Her mask was a deep navy, a lovely color on her. If he had control of his body and she didn't have a ring on her finger, or seem already a bit under the influence of drink, Brandon would have bought her one.
Immediately, Bidaut slid Brandon over to her, smiling cordially. "Good evening." he purred, kissing her hand. "Sub-Visser 52. May I buy you a drink?"
<<What the he - Oh, you suck so bad.>> Brandon cursed the Yeerk.
Bidaut just laughed. Given any chance to vex Brandon, he would take it. Humans were so fun to control.
Adele:
"Sub-Visser 52. May I buy you a drink?"
The voice, charming and smooth, was pleasing to Adele's ears. Sazoirl's eyes rested on Bidaut 1901's host's smiling face. Informing her Yeerk of just how handsome he was and just what she'd like to do if he were equally in the bag and they were in a private room, Adele smiled intensely and held out her diamond-accented hand.
<<You are disgusting.>>
Adele only laughed back in though-speak.
"Sub-Visser 39. Only if you can afford it." Sazoril, following Adele's instruction in etiquette and charm, winked. The rituals that humans observed when it came to such things were curious indeed.
Rian:
Rian's eyes stared intently at the screen in front of them. In fact he didn't look like a party goer at all. He didn't have a drink and he wasn't swaying to the odd music he was just staring. There was nothing particularly interesting about what the speaker was saying. Rian was more interested in what he wasn't saying.
He wasn't saying anything about other cities and he hadn't mentioned anything about resistance. Rian almost wished he had, that their activities had been noticed. But of course this was a party to inspire all the controllers to feel proud about their accomplishments. But why was it all in the past? It was as if the speaker was deliberately avoiding the future. And wasn't that what these speeches were normally about? How great the future would be?
Rian wanted to get a better view and he didn't think he would be able to do that on this floor. "Guys, I'm going to head down to the bar level. If you want to come follow in a couple of minutes, I don't want us all leaving in a group."
He began slipping through the brief holes that opened up in the crowd, heading for the drop shafts, but on his way there he bumped into a controller standing next to a blond woman. "Sorry," he said perfunctory, forgetting that he was playing the part of a lowly controller who didn't know the rank of everyone here.
Tenaj:
Tenaj nodded. "Good to hear. Maybe things can stay that way.....permantly," she told Sedra. These Animorph pests, were quite annoying. Though she was glad she had not heard anything from them in a long while.
She smiled when Sedra asked how involved she was in the project. "I'm involved......helped out with a little bit here and there," she replied slyly. "It's quite an achievement. Can't wait to announce it." <<And rub it in all thier faces of course. Make sure you mention that part, Tenaj>> Janet told the yeerk in her head. Tenaj ignored her host.
Tenaj grasped a hold of her drink and took a sip. It was then she noticed that it was closer then she thought to making the speech. She put the drink down. "You'll be finding out about it now," she told her and got up. "I'll be in Vegas a bit longer. Let us try to get together at another time shall we? See you then," she then headed for the roof to make her speech.
As she reached it she heard the speaker who had been talking just finish. She then watched him shakily walk past her, before Tenaj finally started to head up and speak.
"Good evening," she started out. "As many of you know already, Visser 12 could not make it today. So I, Sub-Visser 30, have taken her place for the big announcement that is to be announced tonight,"
She smiled that all too-familar smile. So many controllers and she got to be the one to announce this project. It was better than she could've imagined. "I won't keep you all waiting any longer. We are in the beginnings of having the largest Yeerk pool ever made right here in Vegas!"
She then pressed a button that was on the podium and the screens that she had been on turned into a picture of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The parts already turned into a yeerk pool were marked as so on it. "We already have that much turned into a Yeerk pool. Bit by bit the entire lake will become the largest Yeerk pool ever known!"
The screen turned back to its orignal picture of Tenaj. "This is a glorious day for the Yeerk empire! We have taken a giant step forward into the future of the Yeerk race!" she told them, excitement in her voice. "Now, let us celebrate this glorious achivement, that will be looked upon for generations to come!"
Brandon:
"I think I can manage, if it is for someone as lovely as yourself." Bidaut said smoothly.
<<Oh God, if you keep this up, you're going to earn me an STD.>> lamented Brandon, not particularly directed to the lady, but to anyone that Bidaut might decide to hit on. Suddenly, someone jarred him. The Sub-Visser whipped around.
"Sorry."
Bidaut's host frowned, but nothing worse. The human who'd bumped into him was quick to apologize and hadn't made him spill his drink. He didn't recognize the face before him, though Bidaut browsed Brandon's memories to see if he should. Nothing came up, so he let it go. However, he did stare at the male straight in the eye, smirking in a way that it could be interpreted as a grimace. "No harm done." he articulated, clasping his large hand upon the perpetrator's shoulder. By then, the speaker, Sub-Visser 30, had finished her announcement. Bidaut caught most of it and clapped with acknowledgment, still standing quite close to Sub-Visser 39 and the other controller.
Adele:
Ah, yes. The announcement had finally been made public. The largest Yeerk pool in the galaxy. Millions of yeerks to go into the heads of millions of hosts. It was glorious.
<<Isn't it? The empire finally growing some balls?>> Adele taunted.
<<What do you mean?>> Sazoril snapped back, taken back by her hosts flippant comment.
<<You know very well what I mean. It took you slugs this long to get something like this going and you've been prowling planets for hosts for decades. Do they like little ol' earth that much? Or are they doing it to actually advance in the fight against the rebels instead of just flexing some muscle like usual?>> Adele took no sides. She was most certainly an "all for one and one for all" individual.
<<...>> Sazoirl utterly blanked.
Finally noticing that Bidaut was applauding the annoucement, Sazoirl joined in, her slender hands making a soft, refined clap. She looked at the young host that had bumped into him. Also very handsome, she gave him a smile, never breaking eye contact.
Rian:
Rian didn't notice the flirtation. His head was too busy spinning and he was too busy trying very hard not to show it. He had to work not to reach out and cast around for something to hold onto to steady him. The biggest yeerk pool.....
Rian swore he heard waves in his ears and he knew that in a moment he was going to faint. To say that he was afraid would be an understatment. He had been afraid of things before. That was that feeling that grew in the pit of your stomach and made you shrink back into yourself a little. It made you long for your parents even though logic told you they couldn't help you. That was fear.
This was panic. He had just been told that the biggest yeerk pool was about to open up right here in Vegas. Being an animorph meant he had to do something to stop it. And being the faction leader meant he had to plan something to stop it. That responsibility hit him very hard and he was doing his level best Not. To. Show it. Because he was standing in a room full of controllers and he could get them all killed right here, forget later.
Bryan:
Bryan raised an eyebrow in response. "Want? I want many things." The sentence was more of a spoken thought than a well thought out response. Why was he here. What had he hoped to gain by coming over here.
He sipped at his drink and looked with narrowed eyes at the controllers around him. "Well first I want to leave. These," he didn't finish his sentence, his face and it's expression of disgust was enough.
Ember:
Ember reached out and wrapped her arm through Rian's as he backed up into her. "Oh hello! There you are darling!" Under her mask and with her morph's lips she smiled widely at Sazoril, "Sorry about him, afraid he's had one too many this evening."
Inwardly Ember was panicking. The largest yeerk pool? She'd come after Rian to try and get him to liven up at the party when she'd heard the announcement and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. "Ha ha, but haven't we all right?" She continued on, trying not to let there be a gap in their conversation as she passed a message in thought speak at the same time. <<Rian. Are you ok? Let's get back to the bar>> She tugged on his arm, "I mean, this is the time to celebrate right? Ha ha, yes... Whoo!" Ember cleared her throat, glad that she wasn't in her own body at this moment since it gave her an illogical reason to not be quite as embarrassed. But that didn't mean she wasn't fully aware that she was acting like an idiot by yeerk standards. They needed to get out of there...
Alora:
Alora smirked, she was liking this man more and more. "Yes... I understand the sentiment. A lot of bottom feeders sucking off the empire."
Vanim moved in a little closer, "You know I want a lot of things too. One of them certainly matches you first desire..." Moving over, she pressed her hand into the crook of his arm, looking up into his eyes as she gently started to maneuver him toward the elevator doors. "What do you say we follow our impulse? I know of a few spots nearby that I think would certainly catch your interest."
Rian:
The hand on his arm and the voice in his ear were both foreign to him and his immediate urge was to pull away. Only the familiar voice in his head stopped him and brought him back to his surroundings.
He blinked. That was it, but it was enough. It broke the spell the announcement had thrown over him and he began to move back towards the bar though they would have to leave very soon. Is this what Vorri had wanted them here to see? He wished he had just told him. But Vorri probably hadn't known what the announcement would be either.
<<Yeah, I'm fine now. Thank you Ember.>>
Bryan:
"And how would you know what my interests would be?" Bryan asked as he walked towards the door. He didn't even know why. It was almost like he was one of the lackeys around him, willing to be pulled in and led by whoever seemed strongest at the moment.
He used to forge his own path but his own path had led to a visit from that nightmare creature. "You're god and mine." Bryan didn't want to believe that he and that thing shared a god. Or that if they did that they were treated the same. Surely he was beloved while that thing was hated. They were not on the same side.
But he doubted. Doubt. He hated doubt and it had taken over his life in the past couple of months. He didn't want to believe that he was on the wrong side of all this, that he had been decieved and used. But he wasn't completely arrogant enough to admit that it might be true.
And while he questioned he felt like a ship lost at see without a guiding star. And so he just drifted with the current and right now Alora was the strongest current.
Ember:
They made it past the throngs of controllers and back to the bar with the others. All of them looked ten shades paler and the ones that had taken any food or drink were regretting it now that it threatened to come back up. Ember herself had drained a martini to try and soothe her nerves, but now it just made the back of her throat feel acidic.
She pushed Rian into a chair, not returning his message. How quickly had she fallen back into this trap? The other night started to creep back into her memory and she felt disgusted at how she'd tried again and failed to make a connection to Rian. But the party had been such a temptation she'd ignored what she'd made up her mind to do and went right back to fawning over him. And for a minute it had been ok... then they'd found out about the yeerk plan and it was back to business.
<<Shit.>> She directed the thought at Rian only, not wanting to freak out the others too soon. They'd have to stay undercover a bit longer before they could get back and talk freely, but she needed to talk to him now. <<What are we going to do?>>
Alora:
"Oh come on... have a little faith in me." Alora smiled, lacing her fingers through his as they strolled into the elevator, coming out on the bottom floor.
"You see darling, I can already tell we're very alike. It's not many among us who would be so honest about their intentions. You and I, we don't simper and beg with the others. That's not our style." A chill breeze hit them as they stepped outside, Vanim delighted that the young man had been so easy to manipulate. He swayed under her touch with a magnetism she'd never felt before, as if, unlike the thousands of others she'd led by the nose, he could easily break free at any moment. Instead he was giving her an opportunity that she'd be loathe to pass by.
"You know, I don't think we've actually introduced ourselves. My name is Vanim." She continued, neglecting to tell him her rank on purpose. He didn't need to know very much, especially nothing that he could use against her.
Chloe:
Chloe had been wandering around all of the levels, looking for a face she recognized and hoping she didn't see the wrong ones. She finally saw Rian's controller disguise near the bar. Chloe took a seat far enough away that he was still visible just as the announcement began. Her face dropped and she could feel all the color run out of her face when she heard it.
"...the largest Yeerk pool ever known."
<<No, not now,>> Chloe begged. She could feel Essi pushing into her conciousness. She was celebrating inside Chloe's head. It was like she had forgotten everything Rian told them. Essi was about to expose them. <<Please please,>> she continued to beg. <<Not now.>> She looked at Rian, hoping he would see her, but Ember's disguise turned him away. NO!!! She was clutching the bar, fighting as hard as she could. She turned to run, forgetting herself, and almost screamed when she ran right into him.
Parker:
"Chloe? Is that you?" Both Skarth and Parker was confused and excited at the same time. He hadn't seen Chloe since the day Essi went insane, not that it was her fault. She looked amazing in that gold dress. "How have you been? You look great!" he said, steadying her a bit. She had run right into him.
<<What's her hurry?>> Parker asked. Skarth ignored him. <<Something isn't right here,>> Parker insisted.
<<sigh...>> "Where's the fire? Is something wrong?" Skarth asked.