Post by Aubrey on Sept 20, 2009 22:39:32 GMT -5
Sedra
It had been a couple days since Sedra had arrived in Chicago to take care of the birth mothers project. She had spent most of her time in a hotel managing paperwork, as well as visiting the John Hancock Building to make sure everything was being set up properly. Three days had passed, and she knew she had to feed.
The musty scent of the Yeerk pool was first to hit her senses, a smell that was familiar and inviting to her. The place echoed with the terrible screams and sobs of free hosts, and the occasional splash of the Yeerk pool against the sides. As a Sub-Visser, Sedra was allowed to cut the line of waiting Yeerks. She took her place at the start of the line, knelt down, and twisted her head sideways. Slowly she detached herself from Catherine, wiggling through her ear until she was free. For a moment she felt a cold draft of air, then she hit the water and was immediately surrounded by the comfort of her brothers and sisters, and the warmth of the Kandrona.
Catherine's arms were gripped tightly by a couple Hork-Bajir, and they pulled her up from the pier. She had long given up fighting against the monsters when she was free from Sedra. When she had been younger, and full of hope and hatred, she had struggled and screamed like the rest of them. But year after year, as nothing changed, she fought less and less. And now, her face and eyes reflected her defeat.
She let herself be dragged, listlessly, to one of the cages for higher-ranking Yeerks. They threw her inside and closed it, casually walking away and talking. She sat against the wall and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the Yeerk pool drift to her ears. She was breathing by herself...moving by herself. She lifted her hands--her hands--and brushed her fingertips through her messy hair.
Janet was going to be here soon, and she was looking forward to having somebody to talk to. It drove her crazy to just sit by herself and wait to be reinfested.
Tenaj
It had been three days. And Janet knew what that meant. It was time for Tenaj to feed. They walked in thier shared body over to the yeerk pool. Janet hated this place. This place should never have existed.
Tenaj walked them to the front of the line. As a Sub-Visser she was allowed to go in front and feed first. Tenaj noticed Sedra had already been by. She walked up to the pool. She looked at the Hork-Bajir at the pool. "I must remind you, restrain her, but DO NOT damage this body or it will be your heads." she told them before knealing down, and finding her way out of Janet.
JAnet soon felt the connection loosen. She was free! But she wasn't truley free. Before she could get control back, the Hork-Bajir grabbed her and dragger her to her cage. She went kicking and screaming before being thrown in. SHe went up to the bars in screamed, "My son will free me! Just wait and see!"
Sedra
Catherine pressed the warm palms of her hands against her head, trying to wish the noise of this place away. In the other cages people were sobbing and moaning, their cries mingling in with newly freed hosts' screams. It made Catherine sick to her stomach, even after all these years. But there was one good thing about being here; She was free for the moment. It was nice having her own thoughts private for now, even if Sedra could see them later. At this moment she was as free as she could get.
And I could have really been free. Catherine held her hands out, clenching them slowly. Luce...Why... She closed her hands into a fist, taking a deep, shuddering breath. It still didn't make sense to her, what Luce had done. They had been alone, and she had had the chance to starve the Yeerk out of her. But instead she had let Sedra free and condemned Catherine back to slavery.
"My son will free me! Just wait and see!"
The sound of Janet's voice caught Catherine's attention, and she lifted her head. The woman was shouting at the Hork-Bajir guards. It was hard not to imagine the woman as the Sub-Visser. She had only known Janet through Sedra and Tenaj's interactions.
"It's useless," She said quietly, dark blue eyes fixed on Janet. She leaned against the wall behind her, feeling the cool rock against her back. "Nobody is going to save us." If it had been years before--before she had been infested--that would have been a strange thing for her to say. She had always been a fighter, and it wasn't in her personality to be docile. But she didn't feel like herself anymore.
Tenaj
Janet would've screamed some more when she heard a voice in the cage with her. It was-Sub-Visser 48 right?-'s host. She seemed to have given up. Like Janet had awhile ago.
She looked over at her, eyes firece like a wildfire was set in them. "My son is out there fighting," she told her. "He will free us. It may not be soon, but he will," This was the only hope she had been able to grasp onto these past few weeks.
"I was like that before," she told the person she shared this cage with. "No hope. But knowing there is a resistance out there....doing something. That's enough to give me hope. Tenaj wasn't letting on how much the Animorphs have hindered her when she talked with Sedra today,"
Sedra
She remembered Tenaj mentioning something about Janet's son, and about the YPM member. "...Your son is an Animorph, right?" The coldness in her eyes softened, and her expression changed. "Do you think he could really free us?" She asked lightly, raising her eyebrows. Her stay here was short, but maybe. Just maybe.
Catherine's own encounters with the Animorphs had been exciting. She had been a controller for years, and hadn't ever come across the resistance until they had attacked Area 51. Whoever they were, they were good at what they did--they had been able to burn down an entire wing of Area 51. Even after years and years of being a slave to a mind-controlling alien, the sight of free humans fighting for them--fighting to save humankind--had given her a strange hope.
But Janet had somebody fighting for her, her son. Who did she have fighting for her? Her whole family had been infested, and her husband had been the one to betray her and get her infested. She looked away at Tenaj and felt her heart sink. The woman's hope was admirable, but what reason did Catherine have to feel that way?
"...Tenaj wasn't letting on how much the Animorphs have hindered her when she talked with Sedra today"
Catherine's eyes darted back to Janet. "What do you mean? I got the feeling that there aren't any Animorphs here." To Catherine, Chicago seemed like a wasteland. No free humans, no real resistance going on. From what she had heard from the two Yeerks, she couldn't hope that there was some rescue waiting here.
Tenaj
Janet nodded. "Yes he is," she replied. She had a tone of pride in her voice. She was proud her son had managed to avoid capture from these slugs. Proud that he was able to fight back.
"I don't expect to be free soon," she told Catherine. "But I know my son will find a way some day. Tim will free me." It may not give Catherine hope, but it gave Janet hope. It gave her a reason to shout and resist.
She then watched Catherine take up an interest in what she had mentioned. "There are Animorphs here," she said. "Tenaj said that before she came, they freed some humans. They had managed to free ALL of them. Even when Tenaj was put in charge, we still haven't found them all,"
She then continued. "And there is one particular incident that she failed to mention. She had my son here as a prsioner. And the Animorphs stopped her. Even a YPM member revealed herself to stop her. And they manged to escape and make a fool of her. " she had a tone of enthusiasm as she talked about this. "Though she was right about there not being any activity lately. But I don't expect it to last much longer."
Sedra
She had been right not to feel anymore hope in this place. "Ahh." Her expression fell, and she glanced out of the cage they were in. The sludgy Yeerk pool splattered up against its side, churning with the movements of its feeding Yeerks. Catherine wondered how much time she had left, and sighed deeply. The place was so dismal.
"I know. But it sounded like they weren't able to do anything. Down in Vegas, they're really causing problems for Sedra. She..." Catherine paused, clenching her jaw. "I was almost freed a couple times. And she almost got us killed as well." Catherine pulled up her sleeve, revealing the bandage around her arm to Janet. Even with the advance of Yeerk technology, the wound still hurt. It was like an ever-present reminder of Sedra's failure.
"We got in a terrible crash because of the Animorphs, and they stole some grenades. They took us out in the desert, and tried to have Sedra starved. It...didn't work out to well." And here she was, sitting at a Yeerk pool again because of it.
"They were able to free some people?" Her face brightened at the thought. Even if Catherine couldn't be free, it was good to hear that some people were. A whole world full of controllers was a scary idea. "Well, good. The Yeerk needs to be taken down a few pegs." The same could be said for Sedra, but so far the Animorphs were doing a fine job of it.
Catherine shifted against the wall, locking her dark hair behind her ear with slender fingers. "I hope they start soon. The things the Yeerks are planning..." Her gaze locked onto the floor, her lips curled in a frown. "They want to get rid of us. Sedra...she really wants those pills. And I'm afraid of what they could do to us. If they work..." She struggled to keep her face blank, trying not to let the fear show.
Tenaj
Janet listened to Catherine about the happenings in Vegas. She had almost been freed? No wonder she didn't have that much hope. Almost killed too? Janet could understand why Catherine was like this.
Though it seemed the Vegas Animorphs had done more than the Chicago ones. It slightly sadened Janet. If those Animorphs were doing so much then why weren't these ones doing just as much? Could they have......lost members or something?
She then watched Catherine's face brighten at the thought of free humans. Janet smiled back, knowing she had given her something to cheer her up, if only slightly.
She then mentioned the pills. "Ah, yes the pills...." she said remembering what they were supposed to do. "Tenaj isn't that close on that either. They haven't achieved their desired effect. I personally think at this rate they'll never get them to work. If they ever get a major break through though....." She didn't bother to finish the thought, Catherine would know what she was getting at.
Sedra
Catherine glanced back up to Janet, and lifted herself off the ground. Even with Janet saying they weren't much closer, Catherine didn't feel any better about it. "What happened to the poor souls they experimented on? I know Tenaj talked about one...but if they're experimenting already, that means they're getting closer. Right?"
She paused, thinking. "We need to tell the Animorphs about it somehow. They need to figure it out." She curled her fingers around one of the cage's bar, leaning her head against it. "I feel so useless. We can't do anything to stop them from doing this. We just have to hope that the Animorphs figure it out and stop them. Or else, who knows..." If it worked, then what would happen to the hosts? Would they be gone forever? Catherine didn't really want to know.
She sighed again, turning around. "And the whole birth mothers project...it makes me sick to my stomach. I've seen some of the terrible things they do to those women, and it's sickening. When the Animorphs burnt down Area 51 I thought that the project would be halted. But instead they moved it here."
She paced the small cage slowly, appreciating the sensation of moving her own body for the time being. She didn't speak for a long time, and when she did her voice was calm, cold. "...I have no one fighting for me. My whole family was taken, Sedra had them all infested. And my husband," She closed her eyes, "My husband was the person who lured me to be infested. The whole time I had known him...everything, all our memories, were fake. He was a Yeerk the entire time."
She leaned against the cold bars, her expression impassive. "I had a son, too. They have him in those 'kid farms', or whatever they call them. Raising him to be infested." She couldn't even remember how old he would be now. She also had a daughter, technically, but she didn't mention her. She wasn't even sure if she could say the girl was hers, as it was Sedra who had her.
Tenaj
Janet whinced when she asked about what had happened to the people that were experimented on with the pills. She looked away. "Do you honestly want to know?" she asked.
She nodded in agreement when the Animorphs were mentioned. "Yes, they need to find out about this." she agreed. Though Catherine had a point. They couldn't do anything. Even if they could, their yeerks would find out. She sighed. "All we can really do is hope they find out,"
Janet sighed too. "Yeah....I don't like it either. Tenaj, as you can imagine, is exstatic. She thinks it could be her ticket to get a promotion. Unfortunately I agree, if it gets any further." she told her. She remembered how excited the Yeerk was about the project and jumped at the chance to save it.
They didn't say much for awhile. The silence bothered her a bit. If she had one of those cups, she would've been moving it across the bars, just to hear some noise. Then Catherine finally spoke up again.
Janet listened. The poor thing. Her whole family gone? And to top it off to find out the person you loved, wasn't all he was cracked up to be? No wonder she didn't have much hope.
She paused a bit before speaking. "My husband...." she choked. "Tenaj.......she.....made me pull the trigger. I had to watch him die......and I couldn't do a thing."
The fire that had been in her eyes died down a bit. Though they started to come back after speaking next. "We will be free. Your son will be free. My son and the other Animorphs will make it happen. I know it."
Sedra
"No, probably not," Catherine said, shaking her head. Just hearing that somebody had died because of those pills was bad enough. She couldn't imagine what kind of things those pills did to the human body, especially since the whole thing was in its starting phases.
"Do you think they have it better, though?" She looked to Janet quietly. "You know what some people say...'better dead than a controller'? Some people would rather be dead, than a prisoner in their own body." Catherine didn't know how she felt about that. She always thought that as long as she was alive, she could fight, and there'd always be the possibility of rescue. But that meant she'd have to watch as the Yeerk forced her to do unimaginable things to other people. Was it worth it?
"Sedra has the same thing in mind. She wants a promotion for this whole thing, even if there's been a few setbacks. I don't know what it would mean for us." Already, Catherine didn't like the thought that Sedra would be spending time in Chicago. From what she heard about Tenaj's plant, it was a horrible place to be.
She listened to Janet's story silently, watching the woman's expression. "I'm sorry. That's terrible..." She wasn't sure what to say or do, so she paced again, hitting her fist once against the wall. "They take everything from us. Our lives, our bodies, our loved ones."
"We will be free. Your son will be free. My son and the other Animorphs will make it happen. I know it."
What if Janet was right? What if the Animorphs were able to free them, to free her son and her family? She tried to remember that feeling she had when she thought the Animorphs were going to starve Sedra out; the intense happiness at the thought of finally being free, after all these years. How would her life be, now? She knew that if she was ever free, she'd fight the Yeerks to her last breath.
"I hope you're right. Maybe one day we'll be free again, and our families." Even saying this, Catherine had never been an optimist. The end of the war seemed so far away, so unattainable. But the Animorphs would always be a beacon of hope.
Tenaj
Janet frowned. Better dead than a controller? Was that really true? At this point she didn't think so. Even after all the horrible things she had seen, she still thought it was better being alive.
"I don't think they do," she replied. "Death is just acceptance. They accepted that there was nothing they could do. But they were wrong. There is always something you can do." Sure, she had given up at one point. But she never thought about dying and letting it be over that way. She always had that one beacon of hope.
Her son. Even when Tenaj had told her they had him, she hoped he would be free. And now she knew he was. And even better he was making a difference.
"I'm sure we will be," she replied to her. At this point she realized...she didn't even know her name. All she knew was that she was Sedra's host. She held out a hand to her. "I'm Janet by the way. Janet Drake,"
Sedra
Catherine mulled over what Janet said. Death was a release from all of this--the pain of seeing your children stripped from you, free from seeing your family's heads shoved into a Yeerk pool, free from seeing people suffering at your own hands.
Catherine could still remember when Sedra had caught one of the Animorphs morphed as a hummingbird. She remembered the feeling of that small body in her hands, crushing the life out of its lungs. It had been horrid, and all Catherine could do was scream in her own head. Thankfully, the Animorph had been rescued before Sedra had killed her.
But Janet was right. There was always something you could do, and freedom was worth fighting for. Death was an admission of defeat. "I think you're right. As long as we still live, there's still something to fight for, right?" She gave Janet a weak smile. She hadn't smiled at all this time, and it felt strange to be doing it herself. But hearing what Janet had to say was something Catherine had really needed. She didn't have Luce around anymore, and even if Luce had saved Sedra, Catherine knew she still needed her. The two had a tight bond, something the Yeerks could never touch.
As Janet held out her hand, Catherine blinked, then a smile inched on her lips. The very human gesture almost felt strange. She reached forward and shook Janet's hand. "Nice to finally meet the real you, Janet. I'm Catherine Michel. Cath or Cate, if you like nicknames." It felt good saying her own name with her own lips this time.
Tenaj
Janet gave a gentle smile and nodded. "Yes, I like to think of it that way," she told her. It was odd. She hadn't given that type of smile in a long time. Her smile was now always corrupted, due to the yeerk that controlled her. It was nice to have her smile back.
It was also nice to see she had gotten someone else to smile again. She hadn't done that in awhile. All she had been able to do is watch as Tenaj used her body to make people miserable. It felt nice to make someone else smile after so long.
She watched her grab her hand and they shook. Catherine huh? She smiled at the mention of nicknames. "I love nicknames," she told her. "I'll call you Cate for now, until I cancome up with a nickname of my own,"
Sedra
"Me too--" She jumped when a nearby Hork-Bajir loudly smacked one of his blades against the cage's bar. Catherine's eyes widened, and she watched as another one began to unlock the barred door. It was time. She turned quickly to Janet, the smile gone from her face. "Good luck Janet. Hope everything turns out well for you--"
One of the Hork-Bajir walked into the cage and grabbed Catherine's arm, jerking her up. The other Hork-Bajir blocked Janet from exiting. "Time is up." The words were garbled and hoarse in his alien throat. He led Catherine forcefully out of the cage, and for the first time in years she squirmed and twisted in an attempt to get away. She shot one last rueful glance towards Janet before he yanked her over to the re-infestation pier.
"Get your hands off!" The force of her voice had all the strength of an angry Sub-Visser, causing the Hork-Bajir to balk. He quickly regained himself, shoving her down to her knees roughly. With her chest heaving, she attempted one last futile struggle against his grip. He only laughed.
With one hand he grabbed her head and twisted it sideways, pushing her ear to the slimy water. She clenched her eyes close tight, feeling the familiar tickling sensation in her ear and then the tingle of Sedra worming her way through her ear canal. Finally, the touch to her mind--It was like her body was going slowly numb, and she couldn't make herself move. When she finally pulled herself up, it was Sedra who had moved her. Sedra who opened her eyes and looked slowly to Janet, still caged.
Sedra explored through her host's recent memories quickly, seeing the whole conversation between Janet and her host. <<Ahh. Thought there was more happening here than the Sub-Visser let on.>> She said curtly. It seemed that her host had been talking with Tenaj's host quite a bit as well. As she headed for the exit, she passed near the cage that Janet was in. She sneered at the woman, a scornful smile twisted on her lips. "You're up next, human."
Tenaj
Janet turned at the sound. Time already huh? She knew niether of them had much longer, before thier words weren't thier own. "Yeah...I wish you luck as well," she told her as she watched Catherine be taken.
She watched her struggle, trying to get free. She had gotten the impression she didn't do taht anymore. Janet hid a smile. Had she really affected her that much in such a short time?
She watched as the Yeerk went into her ear. She then saw her walk up to the cage, no longer in control. "You will be stopped," she told Sedra. "I know you've probably already seen our conversation. And I believe every word that I said,"
She then felt one of the Hork-Bajir grab her. She kicked, she screamed. She made the biggest commotion she could. It eventually took another Hork-Bajir to come over and force her down. It may have only delyaed the inevatable but it served another purpose. It showed that not everyone had given up.
She felt the Yeerk reach her ear, and soon afterwords was forced to stop struggling. Tenaj was back in control.
"Get off me you idiots," Tenaj said to the Hork-Bajir, who instantly gained that fear of the Sub-Visser. Tenaj rose to her feet and played back what Janet had been up to in her few moments of freedom.
<<Hmm.....it seems you are of more use to me than just a host.>> she commented. <<Thank you for finding out what has happened in Vegas>> she sneered. Tenaj didn't like how much Janet had spilled but at least she got info about Vegas as well.
She then walked over to Sedra. "Interesting what lies these hosts tell each other isn;t it?" she commented to her. <<You know it isn't a lie, and Cate will too>> Janet commented in thier head.
Sedra
"You will be stopped, I know you've probably already seen our conversation. And I believe every word that I said,"
Sedra smiled mockingly. "Oh, I bet. I'm cowering in fear already--Ooh the big, scary Animorphs will get us." Her eyes flickered as she searched Catherine's memory, and then she grinned, cold eyes focusing back on Janet. "I'm sure once Tenaj finds your son Tim, he'll have a nice little Yeerk shoved in his head. Just for you, Janet, I know you'll love seeing that. Perhaps Tenaj will even do him the honors."
<<The Animorphs will make idiots of you both. You've seen it firsthand--They're going to come back for you in Vegas, and you know it.>>
<<Perhaps I should take some advice from dear Tenaj, and kill off one of your family to shut you up.>> Catherine didn't respond, so Sedra continued. <<Who would you like? Your dear dad? Mother? Sisters?>> She paused. <<Or how about your son?>>
<<You wouldn't harm him...>> Catherine's voice drained of its earlier sting. <<You...>>
<<I do what I please.>>
She stepped back as the Hork-Bajir grabbed Janet, and both Catherine and Sedra watched as Janet was reinfested. As Tenaj approached her, Sedra gave her a nod. "Right, Sub-Visser." She rolled her sleeve down from earlier, brushing her fingers over her shirt. "I have some more paperwork for you today, concerning data on the birth mothers. I'll stop by the plant in an hour to drop it off and come help." She bid farewell to the Sub-Visser, heading to the exit.
It had been a couple days since Sedra had arrived in Chicago to take care of the birth mothers project. She had spent most of her time in a hotel managing paperwork, as well as visiting the John Hancock Building to make sure everything was being set up properly. Three days had passed, and she knew she had to feed.
The musty scent of the Yeerk pool was first to hit her senses, a smell that was familiar and inviting to her. The place echoed with the terrible screams and sobs of free hosts, and the occasional splash of the Yeerk pool against the sides. As a Sub-Visser, Sedra was allowed to cut the line of waiting Yeerks. She took her place at the start of the line, knelt down, and twisted her head sideways. Slowly she detached herself from Catherine, wiggling through her ear until she was free. For a moment she felt a cold draft of air, then she hit the water and was immediately surrounded by the comfort of her brothers and sisters, and the warmth of the Kandrona.
Catherine's arms were gripped tightly by a couple Hork-Bajir, and they pulled her up from the pier. She had long given up fighting against the monsters when she was free from Sedra. When she had been younger, and full of hope and hatred, she had struggled and screamed like the rest of them. But year after year, as nothing changed, she fought less and less. And now, her face and eyes reflected her defeat.
She let herself be dragged, listlessly, to one of the cages for higher-ranking Yeerks. They threw her inside and closed it, casually walking away and talking. She sat against the wall and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the Yeerk pool drift to her ears. She was breathing by herself...moving by herself. She lifted her hands--her hands--and brushed her fingertips through her messy hair.
Janet was going to be here soon, and she was looking forward to having somebody to talk to. It drove her crazy to just sit by herself and wait to be reinfested.
Tenaj
It had been three days. And Janet knew what that meant. It was time for Tenaj to feed. They walked in thier shared body over to the yeerk pool. Janet hated this place. This place should never have existed.
Tenaj walked them to the front of the line. As a Sub-Visser she was allowed to go in front and feed first. Tenaj noticed Sedra had already been by. She walked up to the pool. She looked at the Hork-Bajir at the pool. "I must remind you, restrain her, but DO NOT damage this body or it will be your heads." she told them before knealing down, and finding her way out of Janet.
JAnet soon felt the connection loosen. She was free! But she wasn't truley free. Before she could get control back, the Hork-Bajir grabbed her and dragger her to her cage. She went kicking and screaming before being thrown in. SHe went up to the bars in screamed, "My son will free me! Just wait and see!"
Sedra
Catherine pressed the warm palms of her hands against her head, trying to wish the noise of this place away. In the other cages people were sobbing and moaning, their cries mingling in with newly freed hosts' screams. It made Catherine sick to her stomach, even after all these years. But there was one good thing about being here; She was free for the moment. It was nice having her own thoughts private for now, even if Sedra could see them later. At this moment she was as free as she could get.
And I could have really been free. Catherine held her hands out, clenching them slowly. Luce...Why... She closed her hands into a fist, taking a deep, shuddering breath. It still didn't make sense to her, what Luce had done. They had been alone, and she had had the chance to starve the Yeerk out of her. But instead she had let Sedra free and condemned Catherine back to slavery.
"My son will free me! Just wait and see!"
The sound of Janet's voice caught Catherine's attention, and she lifted her head. The woman was shouting at the Hork-Bajir guards. It was hard not to imagine the woman as the Sub-Visser. She had only known Janet through Sedra and Tenaj's interactions.
"It's useless," She said quietly, dark blue eyes fixed on Janet. She leaned against the wall behind her, feeling the cool rock against her back. "Nobody is going to save us." If it had been years before--before she had been infested--that would have been a strange thing for her to say. She had always been a fighter, and it wasn't in her personality to be docile. But she didn't feel like herself anymore.
Tenaj
Janet would've screamed some more when she heard a voice in the cage with her. It was-Sub-Visser 48 right?-'s host. She seemed to have given up. Like Janet had awhile ago.
She looked over at her, eyes firece like a wildfire was set in them. "My son is out there fighting," she told her. "He will free us. It may not be soon, but he will," This was the only hope she had been able to grasp onto these past few weeks.
"I was like that before," she told the person she shared this cage with. "No hope. But knowing there is a resistance out there....doing something. That's enough to give me hope. Tenaj wasn't letting on how much the Animorphs have hindered her when she talked with Sedra today,"
Sedra
She remembered Tenaj mentioning something about Janet's son, and about the YPM member. "...Your son is an Animorph, right?" The coldness in her eyes softened, and her expression changed. "Do you think he could really free us?" She asked lightly, raising her eyebrows. Her stay here was short, but maybe. Just maybe.
Catherine's own encounters with the Animorphs had been exciting. She had been a controller for years, and hadn't ever come across the resistance until they had attacked Area 51. Whoever they were, they were good at what they did--they had been able to burn down an entire wing of Area 51. Even after years and years of being a slave to a mind-controlling alien, the sight of free humans fighting for them--fighting to save humankind--had given her a strange hope.
But Janet had somebody fighting for her, her son. Who did she have fighting for her? Her whole family had been infested, and her husband had been the one to betray her and get her infested. She looked away at Tenaj and felt her heart sink. The woman's hope was admirable, but what reason did Catherine have to feel that way?
"...Tenaj wasn't letting on how much the Animorphs have hindered her when she talked with Sedra today"
Catherine's eyes darted back to Janet. "What do you mean? I got the feeling that there aren't any Animorphs here." To Catherine, Chicago seemed like a wasteland. No free humans, no real resistance going on. From what she had heard from the two Yeerks, she couldn't hope that there was some rescue waiting here.
Tenaj
Janet nodded. "Yes he is," she replied. She had a tone of pride in her voice. She was proud her son had managed to avoid capture from these slugs. Proud that he was able to fight back.
"I don't expect to be free soon," she told Catherine. "But I know my son will find a way some day. Tim will free me." It may not give Catherine hope, but it gave Janet hope. It gave her a reason to shout and resist.
She then watched Catherine take up an interest in what she had mentioned. "There are Animorphs here," she said. "Tenaj said that before she came, they freed some humans. They had managed to free ALL of them. Even when Tenaj was put in charge, we still haven't found them all,"
She then continued. "And there is one particular incident that she failed to mention. She had my son here as a prsioner. And the Animorphs stopped her. Even a YPM member revealed herself to stop her. And they manged to escape and make a fool of her. " she had a tone of enthusiasm as she talked about this. "Though she was right about there not being any activity lately. But I don't expect it to last much longer."
Sedra
She had been right not to feel anymore hope in this place. "Ahh." Her expression fell, and she glanced out of the cage they were in. The sludgy Yeerk pool splattered up against its side, churning with the movements of its feeding Yeerks. Catherine wondered how much time she had left, and sighed deeply. The place was so dismal.
"I know. But it sounded like they weren't able to do anything. Down in Vegas, they're really causing problems for Sedra. She..." Catherine paused, clenching her jaw. "I was almost freed a couple times. And she almost got us killed as well." Catherine pulled up her sleeve, revealing the bandage around her arm to Janet. Even with the advance of Yeerk technology, the wound still hurt. It was like an ever-present reminder of Sedra's failure.
"We got in a terrible crash because of the Animorphs, and they stole some grenades. They took us out in the desert, and tried to have Sedra starved. It...didn't work out to well." And here she was, sitting at a Yeerk pool again because of it.
"They were able to free some people?" Her face brightened at the thought. Even if Catherine couldn't be free, it was good to hear that some people were. A whole world full of controllers was a scary idea. "Well, good. The Yeerk needs to be taken down a few pegs." The same could be said for Sedra, but so far the Animorphs were doing a fine job of it.
Catherine shifted against the wall, locking her dark hair behind her ear with slender fingers. "I hope they start soon. The things the Yeerks are planning..." Her gaze locked onto the floor, her lips curled in a frown. "They want to get rid of us. Sedra...she really wants those pills. And I'm afraid of what they could do to us. If they work..." She struggled to keep her face blank, trying not to let the fear show.
Tenaj
Janet listened to Catherine about the happenings in Vegas. She had almost been freed? No wonder she didn't have that much hope. Almost killed too? Janet could understand why Catherine was like this.
Though it seemed the Vegas Animorphs had done more than the Chicago ones. It slightly sadened Janet. If those Animorphs were doing so much then why weren't these ones doing just as much? Could they have......lost members or something?
She then watched Catherine's face brighten at the thought of free humans. Janet smiled back, knowing she had given her something to cheer her up, if only slightly.
She then mentioned the pills. "Ah, yes the pills...." she said remembering what they were supposed to do. "Tenaj isn't that close on that either. They haven't achieved their desired effect. I personally think at this rate they'll never get them to work. If they ever get a major break through though....." She didn't bother to finish the thought, Catherine would know what she was getting at.
Sedra
Catherine glanced back up to Janet, and lifted herself off the ground. Even with Janet saying they weren't much closer, Catherine didn't feel any better about it. "What happened to the poor souls they experimented on? I know Tenaj talked about one...but if they're experimenting already, that means they're getting closer. Right?"
She paused, thinking. "We need to tell the Animorphs about it somehow. They need to figure it out." She curled her fingers around one of the cage's bar, leaning her head against it. "I feel so useless. We can't do anything to stop them from doing this. We just have to hope that the Animorphs figure it out and stop them. Or else, who knows..." If it worked, then what would happen to the hosts? Would they be gone forever? Catherine didn't really want to know.
She sighed again, turning around. "And the whole birth mothers project...it makes me sick to my stomach. I've seen some of the terrible things they do to those women, and it's sickening. When the Animorphs burnt down Area 51 I thought that the project would be halted. But instead they moved it here."
She paced the small cage slowly, appreciating the sensation of moving her own body for the time being. She didn't speak for a long time, and when she did her voice was calm, cold. "...I have no one fighting for me. My whole family was taken, Sedra had them all infested. And my husband," She closed her eyes, "My husband was the person who lured me to be infested. The whole time I had known him...everything, all our memories, were fake. He was a Yeerk the entire time."
She leaned against the cold bars, her expression impassive. "I had a son, too. They have him in those 'kid farms', or whatever they call them. Raising him to be infested." She couldn't even remember how old he would be now. She also had a daughter, technically, but she didn't mention her. She wasn't even sure if she could say the girl was hers, as it was Sedra who had her.
Tenaj
Janet whinced when she asked about what had happened to the people that were experimented on with the pills. She looked away. "Do you honestly want to know?" she asked.
She nodded in agreement when the Animorphs were mentioned. "Yes, they need to find out about this." she agreed. Though Catherine had a point. They couldn't do anything. Even if they could, their yeerks would find out. She sighed. "All we can really do is hope they find out,"
Janet sighed too. "Yeah....I don't like it either. Tenaj, as you can imagine, is exstatic. She thinks it could be her ticket to get a promotion. Unfortunately I agree, if it gets any further." she told her. She remembered how excited the Yeerk was about the project and jumped at the chance to save it.
They didn't say much for awhile. The silence bothered her a bit. If she had one of those cups, she would've been moving it across the bars, just to hear some noise. Then Catherine finally spoke up again.
Janet listened. The poor thing. Her whole family gone? And to top it off to find out the person you loved, wasn't all he was cracked up to be? No wonder she didn't have much hope.
She paused a bit before speaking. "My husband...." she choked. "Tenaj.......she.....made me pull the trigger. I had to watch him die......and I couldn't do a thing."
The fire that had been in her eyes died down a bit. Though they started to come back after speaking next. "We will be free. Your son will be free. My son and the other Animorphs will make it happen. I know it."
Sedra
"No, probably not," Catherine said, shaking her head. Just hearing that somebody had died because of those pills was bad enough. She couldn't imagine what kind of things those pills did to the human body, especially since the whole thing was in its starting phases.
"Do you think they have it better, though?" She looked to Janet quietly. "You know what some people say...'better dead than a controller'? Some people would rather be dead, than a prisoner in their own body." Catherine didn't know how she felt about that. She always thought that as long as she was alive, she could fight, and there'd always be the possibility of rescue. But that meant she'd have to watch as the Yeerk forced her to do unimaginable things to other people. Was it worth it?
"Sedra has the same thing in mind. She wants a promotion for this whole thing, even if there's been a few setbacks. I don't know what it would mean for us." Already, Catherine didn't like the thought that Sedra would be spending time in Chicago. From what she heard about Tenaj's plant, it was a horrible place to be.
She listened to Janet's story silently, watching the woman's expression. "I'm sorry. That's terrible..." She wasn't sure what to say or do, so she paced again, hitting her fist once against the wall. "They take everything from us. Our lives, our bodies, our loved ones."
"We will be free. Your son will be free. My son and the other Animorphs will make it happen. I know it."
What if Janet was right? What if the Animorphs were able to free them, to free her son and her family? She tried to remember that feeling she had when she thought the Animorphs were going to starve Sedra out; the intense happiness at the thought of finally being free, after all these years. How would her life be, now? She knew that if she was ever free, she'd fight the Yeerks to her last breath.
"I hope you're right. Maybe one day we'll be free again, and our families." Even saying this, Catherine had never been an optimist. The end of the war seemed so far away, so unattainable. But the Animorphs would always be a beacon of hope.
Tenaj
Janet frowned. Better dead than a controller? Was that really true? At this point she didn't think so. Even after all the horrible things she had seen, she still thought it was better being alive.
"I don't think they do," she replied. "Death is just acceptance. They accepted that there was nothing they could do. But they were wrong. There is always something you can do." Sure, she had given up at one point. But she never thought about dying and letting it be over that way. She always had that one beacon of hope.
Her son. Even when Tenaj had told her they had him, she hoped he would be free. And now she knew he was. And even better he was making a difference.
"I'm sure we will be," she replied to her. At this point she realized...she didn't even know her name. All she knew was that she was Sedra's host. She held out a hand to her. "I'm Janet by the way. Janet Drake,"
Sedra
Catherine mulled over what Janet said. Death was a release from all of this--the pain of seeing your children stripped from you, free from seeing your family's heads shoved into a Yeerk pool, free from seeing people suffering at your own hands.
Catherine could still remember when Sedra had caught one of the Animorphs morphed as a hummingbird. She remembered the feeling of that small body in her hands, crushing the life out of its lungs. It had been horrid, and all Catherine could do was scream in her own head. Thankfully, the Animorph had been rescued before Sedra had killed her.
But Janet was right. There was always something you could do, and freedom was worth fighting for. Death was an admission of defeat. "I think you're right. As long as we still live, there's still something to fight for, right?" She gave Janet a weak smile. She hadn't smiled at all this time, and it felt strange to be doing it herself. But hearing what Janet had to say was something Catherine had really needed. She didn't have Luce around anymore, and even if Luce had saved Sedra, Catherine knew she still needed her. The two had a tight bond, something the Yeerks could never touch.
As Janet held out her hand, Catherine blinked, then a smile inched on her lips. The very human gesture almost felt strange. She reached forward and shook Janet's hand. "Nice to finally meet the real you, Janet. I'm Catherine Michel. Cath or Cate, if you like nicknames." It felt good saying her own name with her own lips this time.
Tenaj
Janet gave a gentle smile and nodded. "Yes, I like to think of it that way," she told her. It was odd. She hadn't given that type of smile in a long time. Her smile was now always corrupted, due to the yeerk that controlled her. It was nice to have her smile back.
It was also nice to see she had gotten someone else to smile again. She hadn't done that in awhile. All she had been able to do is watch as Tenaj used her body to make people miserable. It felt nice to make someone else smile after so long.
She watched her grab her hand and they shook. Catherine huh? She smiled at the mention of nicknames. "I love nicknames," she told her. "I'll call you Cate for now, until I cancome up with a nickname of my own,"
Sedra
"Me too--" She jumped when a nearby Hork-Bajir loudly smacked one of his blades against the cage's bar. Catherine's eyes widened, and she watched as another one began to unlock the barred door. It was time. She turned quickly to Janet, the smile gone from her face. "Good luck Janet. Hope everything turns out well for you--"
One of the Hork-Bajir walked into the cage and grabbed Catherine's arm, jerking her up. The other Hork-Bajir blocked Janet from exiting. "Time is up." The words were garbled and hoarse in his alien throat. He led Catherine forcefully out of the cage, and for the first time in years she squirmed and twisted in an attempt to get away. She shot one last rueful glance towards Janet before he yanked her over to the re-infestation pier.
"Get your hands off!" The force of her voice had all the strength of an angry Sub-Visser, causing the Hork-Bajir to balk. He quickly regained himself, shoving her down to her knees roughly. With her chest heaving, she attempted one last futile struggle against his grip. He only laughed.
With one hand he grabbed her head and twisted it sideways, pushing her ear to the slimy water. She clenched her eyes close tight, feeling the familiar tickling sensation in her ear and then the tingle of Sedra worming her way through her ear canal. Finally, the touch to her mind--It was like her body was going slowly numb, and she couldn't make herself move. When she finally pulled herself up, it was Sedra who had moved her. Sedra who opened her eyes and looked slowly to Janet, still caged.
Sedra explored through her host's recent memories quickly, seeing the whole conversation between Janet and her host. <<Ahh. Thought there was more happening here than the Sub-Visser let on.>> She said curtly. It seemed that her host had been talking with Tenaj's host quite a bit as well. As she headed for the exit, she passed near the cage that Janet was in. She sneered at the woman, a scornful smile twisted on her lips. "You're up next, human."
Tenaj
Janet turned at the sound. Time already huh? She knew niether of them had much longer, before thier words weren't thier own. "Yeah...I wish you luck as well," she told her as she watched Catherine be taken.
She watched her struggle, trying to get free. She had gotten the impression she didn't do taht anymore. Janet hid a smile. Had she really affected her that much in such a short time?
She watched as the Yeerk went into her ear. She then saw her walk up to the cage, no longer in control. "You will be stopped," she told Sedra. "I know you've probably already seen our conversation. And I believe every word that I said,"
She then felt one of the Hork-Bajir grab her. She kicked, she screamed. She made the biggest commotion she could. It eventually took another Hork-Bajir to come over and force her down. It may have only delyaed the inevatable but it served another purpose. It showed that not everyone had given up.
She felt the Yeerk reach her ear, and soon afterwords was forced to stop struggling. Tenaj was back in control.
"Get off me you idiots," Tenaj said to the Hork-Bajir, who instantly gained that fear of the Sub-Visser. Tenaj rose to her feet and played back what Janet had been up to in her few moments of freedom.
<<Hmm.....it seems you are of more use to me than just a host.>> she commented. <<Thank you for finding out what has happened in Vegas>> she sneered. Tenaj didn't like how much Janet had spilled but at least she got info about Vegas as well.
She then walked over to Sedra. "Interesting what lies these hosts tell each other isn;t it?" she commented to her. <<You know it isn't a lie, and Cate will too>> Janet commented in thier head.
Sedra
"You will be stopped, I know you've probably already seen our conversation. And I believe every word that I said,"
Sedra smiled mockingly. "Oh, I bet. I'm cowering in fear already--Ooh the big, scary Animorphs will get us." Her eyes flickered as she searched Catherine's memory, and then she grinned, cold eyes focusing back on Janet. "I'm sure once Tenaj finds your son Tim, he'll have a nice little Yeerk shoved in his head. Just for you, Janet, I know you'll love seeing that. Perhaps Tenaj will even do him the honors."
<<The Animorphs will make idiots of you both. You've seen it firsthand--They're going to come back for you in Vegas, and you know it.>>
<<Perhaps I should take some advice from dear Tenaj, and kill off one of your family to shut you up.>> Catherine didn't respond, so Sedra continued. <<Who would you like? Your dear dad? Mother? Sisters?>> She paused. <<Or how about your son?>>
<<You wouldn't harm him...>> Catherine's voice drained of its earlier sting. <<You...>>
<<I do what I please.>>
She stepped back as the Hork-Bajir grabbed Janet, and both Catherine and Sedra watched as Janet was reinfested. As Tenaj approached her, Sedra gave her a nod. "Right, Sub-Visser." She rolled her sleeve down from earlier, brushing her fingers over her shirt. "I have some more paperwork for you today, concerning data on the birth mothers. I'll stop by the plant in an hour to drop it off and come help." She bid farewell to the Sub-Visser, heading to the exit.
