Post by Admin on Aug 6, 2009 1:55:47 GMT -5
Suji:
((Takes place either the night of Hiilani's arrival, or the night after, depending on if anything crazy happens in that thread that would otherwise interfere.))
It was getting dark out: a couple of the Animorphs were out patrolling, and it wasn't yet deep enough night that everyone would be asleep. Suji had been mulling over the incident in the city for more than a day now, and she'd had the chance to conduct her own nighttime mission each night since then. The information she was compiling was valuable; it didn't exactly spell a solution out for her, but she was starting to formulate a solid plan.
While it had been nice to be able to focus on saving Karl rather than have to spend all of her waking hours wondering how Toby was going to deliberately screw someone over, it didn't change that Suji had to face the fact that David might end up getting them all screwed over unintentionally. She had not told Raven or Riley about what happened, and in no way intended to. She hadn't heard either of them talk action since Toby had showed up, and it wasn't clear to her if they really meant to do something about it at all... though Toby would probably force their hands in the end.
But she needed to talk to David. She'd been all but avoiding him the past few days; her good-natured feelings towards him had soured into ones of angered betrayal. Not only had she trusted him as a person, Suji had also trusted her judgment that David could be controlled, could be counted on. To be let down by a person was bad enough: to be let down by her own reasoning facilities was shameful on top of it. It was nothing she would ever forget, that much was certain.
All the same, yes, she needed to talk to him. Because it was his brother she was devising a plan to save, and maybe even more-so because David himself was a critical part of the plan. The thought had surfaced regularly: if she could do it without him, would she? The answer that kept being returned to her, despite the moral misgivings she did feel alongside of it, was this: probably.
But second chances were not something that came easily to Suji. And she was going to make sure David knew that, and if she felt that he wasn't up to the task, she wasn't going to risk it. Suji wouldn't be the one that got them all killed because she threw unearned trust around willy-nilly.
Suji quietly walked to David's door. The rooms weren't big, but at least everyone had their own. She raised her hand and knocked, calling out quietly: "David? It's Suji. We need to talk."
David:
David sucked in breath as his foot was sliced open by a piece of the bowl he'd thrown, lying on the floor, missed during his half-hearted attempt to clean up the smashed bowl and the shredded book. As it was, he wasn't looking forward to talking to Suji. He wasn't sure if he was angry at her or ashamed of himself after his would-be stab at rescuing Karl.
He eased the door open. There she was. No turning back. He drew in breath. "Yes?" he said sullenly.
Suji:
Suji gauged him. He wasn't happy to see her, clearly. That was fine--she wasn't particularly looking forward to this either, but it had to be done. "We need to talk about our last flight." Her voice was low, but not a whisper. Certainly not loud enough to carry far at all. "We can talk in your room or my room." It wasn't like it would be a long walk, either way.
Suji had her poker face up, as always. She'd been furious then, and the anger was still burning hot inside of her, but you didn't start off this kind of conversation with that kind of emotion. In fact, anger would do nothing but hurt her here: at least, the kind of loud, stormy rage that she really wanted to let out.
David:
"I'm fine with either one," he said. She had her poker face up. No matter, he could tell what emotion must be seething under that blank face. Anger. Anger rightfully directed at him. He also tried to keep his face blank.
It wasn't too hard. He was tired, and his face was usually pretty blank when he was tired. It had, after all, getting flipped over Hiilani's shoulder, burning his hand, now his foot was bleeding, and on top of all that, he had to have a conversation about one of the biggest mistakes of his life. His day was going just perfectly.
Suji:
"All right then." Suji slipped past him, into his room, and indicated for him to close the door. There wasn't much space in their rooms for one person--two wasn't any better. Still, it present a micron of privacy, and Suji needed to talk to him. He looked tired, completely worn out... but it wasn't as if she could just turn back now. Not only did things need to get into motion relatively soon, she wasn't particularly given to cutting him slack at the moment.
"You know why I'm here, and so I'm going to spare you as much of the lecture as possible--though you earned it twice-over the other day, with what you pulled." She didn't sit down, but she didn't get in his face either. Calm. Had to maintain focus, distance. "I was already taking a risk by suggesting we fly out there. I will take responsibility for that. And I also take responsibility for the fact that I trusted you. What you did... what could have happened..." Suji felt the anger boiling inside of her rising up, contorting her face, and she pushed it down again. "If I'm ever going to work alongside you again, I need to know that I can trust you. Because right now, I think I'm seeing why no one around here even bothers to talk about missions or fighting bad guys or saving the good guys."
David:
David could have lashed out. That would have proven her point, it wouldn't have made her feel better, and nothing would change. He could have made excuses, which would have basically the same effect. Bearing all this in mind, he stood by stoically and listened. It didn't make him feel any better, but at least he was showing her that he still had reason left in him, and that her words weren't bouncing off a stubborn wall.
Still, it bit deep when she implied that he was the reason they hadn't done anything to the yeerks yet. That was not a fair assumption. They hadn't done anything to the yeerks because there'd been nothing to do. As far as he knew, all the yeerks were doing was searching for the last handful of free humans to turn them into hosts. And they'd been doing the only thing they could do about that: turn those free humans into animorphs first.
He held his tongue.
Suji:
No response. She wasn't positive that was what she was looking for, but she knew that it was better than some alternatives. Suji watched him carefully; if she knew how he reacted to this, maybe she'd know how he'd react if given another chance. She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look David, I'm going to level with you. We've got a faction leader who's more concerned with playing mommy than fighting a war, another de facto leader who might be able to get something done if he wasn't so busy playing husband, a couple members I barely even see because they're usually out patrolling--which so far seems more like a synonym for 'morphing and trying to escape my situation' than anything else, Toby who I don't trust an inch, and now another new girl who might be good at all this at some point, but still has to learn the ropes."
It was a lot to put on the line: though she wouldn't have said she'd been dishonest with David, this was definitely the most open she'd been with anyone here. That it itself was a sliver of trust. Suji needed to see what he'd do with it. "All we're doing right now, David, is hiding. And if everyone is more intent on that than fighting, that's fine. At least it hopefully keeps everyone safe. But you don't save people by hiding. I want to change that. I'm not saying we storm the pool, but I think we have a still have a shot had doing something." She looked him in the eyes, full bore intensity: there wasn't anger there, but determination. A challenge that said that if he stepped up, she'd be expecting a lot of him. A second chance.
"I need to be able to trust you at my back, that you won't do something rash that gets us all killed. I need you to be able to trust me enough that you know I have your best interests in mind, and that I'll keep us alive to fight another day." She paused. "So can I trust you? Will you trust me?"
David:
Suddenly, David wasn't sure where this was going. Was she talking about him, or was she putting down the enitre faction? Oh, yes, it still was about him. Could she trust him? He thought. If he saw Karl again, what would he do? Before, he had been getting so impatient to rescue Karl, so when he'd seen him on the street, he wasn't sure he'd get another chance. It was like Suji had said, Raven and Riley seemed more interested in being parents than being faction leaders. The point was, now his mind was a lot clearer. He was more focused.
More dangerous.
Yes, if he saw Karl again, he could wait. He could be trusted. If there was one thing David was good at, it was learning from his mistakes. He nodded. "You can trust me. I trust you as long as you aren't planning on deposing Raven and Riley." He'd meant that as a joke, but suddenly the thought occurred to him. What if she was? He trusted her, but, especially after that speech, he couldn't bring himself to put it past her.
His face, for once, betrayed no sign of this thought. He smiled a little, knowing that he was learning to control his face.
Suji:
Suji nodded. He did seem to understand now, and he looked more... ready. A little less like one more scared kid whose morphing ability bought them escapism, rather than responsibility. When he mentioned deposing Raven and Riley though, Suji's face shifted: she'd been taking this very seriously, but now she found herself laughing. Not at him, but at the idea of it. If Suji didn't exactly think that Raven or Riley was doing much in the way of leading, it didn't mean that she envied their position. If anything, they being the 'real' leaders--at least, them worrying about the rest of the faction--meant that Suji felt freer to handle her own projects; one of which was Karl.
Besides, what was he talking? A coup? Mutiny? She continued to laugh, and shook her head. "No. No I'm not, please believe me there. Not only am I not keen on the idea of organizing some kind of revolt, I have no intention of weakening any faction though some kind of inner-political strife. Raven and Riley are good at what they do, which seems to be running a way-house for lost kids. But that doesn't mean I can't be good at what I do, which is planning things. And speaking of planning things..." Now that she felt she could trust him more (and seeing as how she needed him for the plan), Suji refocused her thoughts.
"I started working on a plan for saving Karl. But in order for it to go smoothly, it's going to require you to be calm in the face of pretty sizable danger. Not the fighting kind--but the kind that comes with espionage and what-have-you."
David:
David swallowed. Not going on a suicidal "rescue Karl" mission, that he was sure he could do. Stay sane in the face of espionage, however... "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm not sure because I've never done it before. It might just depend on the circumstances. I mean, I'd feel a lot safer in cockroach morph than in, say, raccoon morph. Also, where exactly would I be spying?"
Espionage... he hated suspenseful scenes in movies, where the "good guy" was always on the verge of being discovered. They made him tense to the point of feeling sick. And if he was going to be the "good guy" about to get caught, he wasn't sure how he'd handle it.
Suji:
Suji smirked a little. His response wasn't encouraging, but it was honest, and she trusted it more than if he'd jumped to tell her he could do anything. She also didn't want to sugarcoat it--she didn't believe in making surprises out of things that could be accounted for ahead of time. "Well... maybe espionage wasn't the right word. At least, I didn't mean spying so much as... deception. The part that's going to be most crucial in this, you'll need to pretend to be your brother. That's where being twins will come in handy."
She didn't think he was going to like the sound of that, especially after he'd talked about feeling safer as a cockroach. "I'll be there the whole time, and I can probably feed you what to say if necessary, but you'll need to do it. Hopefully not for long, and it should only be one encounter. If you think that you won't be able to, there is another way I think we can try this, but... that one has other consequences."
David:
Consequences didn't sound too pleasant when she said it. He would rather risk pretending to be Karl. Besides, hadn't he done just that every year on April Fools from when he was five until he was twelve? "Yeah, I can pretend to be Karl," he said. "I don't know about pretending to be a yeerk, but I can pretend to be Karl. Just one thing: there's a hat that I need."
Explain, David, she doesn't know Karl as well as you do. "Karl never goes anywhere without his Cubs hat, and aparently, the yeerk in his head does the same, because he was wearing it when... you know..." Suddenly, what he was planning to do hit him full force in the stomach, like a bettering ram. He was planning on sneaking somewhere, probably somewhere where there were a lot of yeerks. And he would be human when he did. Not a cockroach, not even a fossa, a human. Himself human, to make things worse.
"Where exactly would I be going?" he asked nervously.
Suji:
"You'll have the hat." Suji rubbed the back of her neck. "In fact, you'll have his entire wardrobe." Now that the tenser parts were over with, Suji went to sit down on his bed. She didn't think he'd mind. From there she looked over at him, gauging him. Now, now came explaining. Now came bringing the plan that was inside her head out into the light. And that meant seeing where the holes might be, if she hadn't thought it over well enough.
"For the past couple days I've been following Karl here and there. At night I was an owl, and during the day I used my vulture morph. I've determined where he works, and last night I got to confirm something that I'd started to suspect. His Controller and what seems like his Controller's best friend spend a lot of time together, and they go to the pool together every three days." She didn't divulge exactly how she'd gotten the information: it'd been dangerous, sitting on the window ledge of Karl's apartment, practically inside the room, as her tiny owl. Thankfully it had ears almost as sharp as its eyes.
"So we're going to go over to his apartment on day three, after he gets off work but before his buddy is scheduled to arrive. And we're going to hold him there until... until it's done."
David:
David nodded, understanding where this was going. It was a plan that could work, but the problem was... "What about when I'm in the pool?" he asked. "First, what happens when I bend down and turn my head, and no yeerk falls out? Also, what about when it's time to put the yeerk back in? Then I'll have a yeerk in my head, and I'm not okay with that."
A small part of his mind was clamoring to forget the dangers. This was Karl, after all. He squashed that bit of mind under the embarrassment of the past few days.
Suji:
Suji blinked at him for a second, and then shook her head. "No, no. Once we're inside, Karl is not walking back out of his apartment with a Yeerk in his head. We'll starve the thing then and there--it'll take maybe a day at most, probably not longer than six or eight hours, considering what time they talked about always heading over there. We won't even have to go near the pool itself. And when it's over, we morph and fly out--or you hitch a ride as a roach--and we direct Karl back here."
She continued to watch him, judging his reactions. "You'll need to pretend to be him when his friend comes to pick him up. You'll tell him that something came up at work, and they're asking you to work another shift, so you had to go to the pool earlier in the day, and that you're sorry about it. If all goes well his friend might be a little pouty, but not suspicious."
David:
Ah. That made things much better. There would be no going into the yeerk pool. Plus, he found the idea of a slug pouting oddly intriguing.
"All right," he said. "I can do that." Especially if it meant saving Karl. That was always a plus. "And Suji... I'm sorry. I don't think I've said that yet."
Suji:
Suji saw the relief on David's face, and felt a similar emotion loosen the knot that had worked it's way into her guts. David could do this, right? Yes. He could because he had to to save his brother. And she'd be there, and she could feed him lines where necessary. Might not be the most natural thing, but it would work. Suji'd been on worse missions in NYC. This would be a cake-walk. Right? Right.
He apologized, and Suji lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile. "Everyone makes mistakes." Everyone but you, right? Perfect little Suji? Calm and in control? Ready to save other people's siblings before her own? She pushed that thought aside. "Just, for the love of whatever deity you choose, don't let it happened again, right?" She tried to make it sound light-hearted, but underneath there was a very real fear, buried deep down. What if David couldn't help himself? What if he was already planning his next mad dash, the second he saw Karl?
Still, that's why she'd picked this plan. Because it wouldn't involve too much waiting on David's part. They could get in, and get out, twin in tow. "The next time he feeds is tomorrow evening. How soon can you be ready? I don't want to rush it, and if we don't go tomorrow, it's only three days longer to wait. But-" But you think Toby will sabotage it, the longer you let it lie? Yeah, that would go over well. He'd think she was paranoid. "But it's your call. Also, this is a two-person job. It's how I worked mostly in NYC, and it's how I tend to plan... rules out a lot of variables. But is there anyone you'd wanna bring from the faction?"
Suji knew that she'd be catching hell and high water for this. And maybe it was some kind of glorified rebellious-teen thing, to buck against local authority. But in the end, what she'd said was true: she planned best when she could eliminate it down to as few people involved as possible--which usually meant her, and maybe another person. "Just let's not bring Toby, eh?" She laughed a little, but her tone was still serious.
David:
The words "let's do it now" were on his lips, but he bit them back. He thought for a second. "I think... I think we should wait, and make sure I know what I'm supposed to say, so that it seems more natural. Also, that way, we can maybe practice... You know, run through the plan and cut down the time it takes to execute. Besides, I think we should bring Hiilani, if she's willing. Face it, we both know that she can keep her cool when she's attacked, she's good in a fight, and we know she won't be dashing off to save someone the second she sees them."
Did I just think of that by myself? "But we don't have to bring Toby if you don't want to." He couldn't think of anything he wanted more from the faction than Hiilani. After all, she was martial artist.
Suji:
Suji nodded a little. More planning wouldn't hurt, though she wasn't sure if they could 'cut down on the time'. It wasn't a drill: it would take as long as it would take, unfortunately, and that all depended on how long it would take the Yeerk to starve. They could be there for a couple hours, or they could be there for twelve. But David needed to be as comfortable as possible, in any case.
"I'm not sure if we can say how good she'd be in a real fight just from the first incident with her. Not that I'm disagreeing, it might be a good idea to take her. But if there was a real fight--one with an armed opponent--I don't think all the karate in the world would save her or us. Which is why I'm not planning on putting us in a situation where there will be combat. Do you know what morphs she took? That's probably the best way to start choosing people. I was figuring that I could show you the apartment sometime so you know how to get there, and then when we went, I'd morph roach and hitch a ride on your robin. There's no way I'd be able to sneak anywhere close as a vulture. And it won't be dark enough just then for the owl morph."
David:
"She has a parrot and a monkey," David said. "I was there when they gave her her morphs. I don't know how helpful those will be, but it can't hurt, right?"
He was already battling in his mind. Part of him was still ready to just swoop in and carry Karl away, but the other part of him could remember how that had worked out last time. And that part of him was stronger. It kept him focused on what would actually save Karl. Meanwhile the part of him that was in control when he abandoned all reason the other day gave him the will to save Karl, and he needed that too. In moderation, anyway.
Suji:
Suji winced a little. Unfortunately, it could hurt. As much as she'd hated to admit it, Toby had had a point about the vulture morph: birds in general weren't as common as they used to be, and if they were going to be close enough for humans to make them out, she wanted them to be as small and brown as possible.
Which was why she was going to be a cockroach riding in on David, rather than trying to swoop in on her 2 meter long wings. The flight morphs they were taking had to be something that the host mind would easily write off as background scenery, so that the Yeerk might pass it over by default.
"...how...bright is the parrot? Did you see by any chance?"
David:
"No, I haven't seen her morph yet," he said. "But, it can't be that big, right? And, well, if it's not big..." He trailed off. Even if it wasn't big, people would still notice if it was brightly colored.
"We can ask her about it," he said. "Because, I mean, if we're going to be restraining Karl, well, I want someone who can do that quickly and painlessly. And Hiilani can probably do that."
Suji:
You put a lot of stock in her just because she flipped you like a sack of potatoes, Suji thought, but didn't say. She'd mentioned having a black belt, but Suji had had her own minor experience with the martial arts industry. There was a big difference from throwing an inexperienced attacker versus subduing someone 'quickly and painlessly'. That, and having a black belt in martial arts was a lot like getting published. Maybe you wrote a best-seller, or maybe you got half a page of space on an obscure online magazine with a readership base of 15 people, 14 of which ran the site.
Not that the extra help would be a bad thing. It wouldn't. But Suji was in no way going to rely on Hiilani's possible experience with real combat. If her morphs were impossible to transport into the city, there was just no way they could afford to bring her. If she could get a bug morph, or a more inconspicuous bird, then Suji would be won over, easily. "We'll have to see. It'll be early evening when we go, which is just too much light for something bright red or green flapping around the city. I agree that she could be useful."
David:
"Alright," he said. "So we have three days to work out the details. Should we tell Raven or Riley?" Now that he thought about it, they probably wouldn't be the happiest people on the planet over this plan. Even with him and Karl out of the picture. "Or, maybe the less they know, the better?"
Soon, Karl, he thought. I'm coming for you. No slug can control you while I'm around.
Suji:
Suji tensed, though only momentarily. She hadn't wanted to be the one to ask the question: better that David air it. After all, he'd already seemed to have some suspicion that she wanted to usurp them, though he probably didn't wholly believe it. That was not a thought that Suji had wanted to feed or give credence to.
"It's... tricky. They're going to be very angry if we don't tell them. On the other hand, they're going to be angry that we took a random fly into the city, and even angrier that I led it, and angrier still that I've been over there a decent amount the past few days, without telling anymore." She licked her lips. "I am a firm believer in the idea that they less people you have to account for, the smoother a plan goes. And to be perfectly honest, it's not like Raven can help much at this point. Riley maybe, but Raven can neither morph if we need her, or even give well-reasoned advice, seeing as she won't be able to spy with us. But that's the choice she'd making."
Suji tried not to domineer the conversation, and already felt uncomfortable saying as much as she had. "Do you think Riley would be able to help? The real problem is that once we invite Riley, we inherently are inviting Raven into the fold."
David:
"Okay, so we won't tell them," said David. "One last question. How do we get out of there once Karl's free? He can't exactly turn into a cockroach." The thought had just suddenly occurred to him. He hadn't even considered that she hadn't said anything about the epilogue before, he'd just sort of... assumed they'd just walk away?
Yeah, that would work. That would work just fine and dandy. Well, maybe Karl would know a few tricks if Suji didn't have a plan.
Suji:
"There's nothing stopping Karl from walking out of the city. I'm sure..." There wasn't really a delicate way to put this, but she did avert her eyes and lower her voice. "I'm sure that he's been a Controller long enough to know how the system works, what to say." There was a flash of a horrible thought: what if he doesn't want to leave?
What if the idea of being an Animorph, of fighting, was more terrifying than the idea of eternal enslavement? Suji pushed that thought away as quickly as it surfaced. "We, on the other hand, stay overhead and give him cover. Or I give him cover--it'll probably be dark by then, and I'll be in owl morph. You can go roach for that ride."
David:
She looked like she wanted to sugar coat what she was about to say, and it did hurt a bit, but it was the truth, David knew it. He had faced that truth many times before, and it didn't bother him as much anymore. Especially since now there was a way to change the fact upholding that truth. Karl would soon have his free will back.
And then... well, and then they'd see what happened. Karl could probably join the Chicago faction and they'd be unstoppable. The corners of David's mouth twitched. Yeah, right. Unstoppable. What makes you unstoppable, again? Just because you're twins? Still. Having Karl on the team would make things much better.
Suji:
"So, we need to find out what kind of parrot Hiilani has. If it's too bright, it's out of the question. We will not be telling Raven or Riley. Toby is a no. All that is agreed upon." Suji rubbed the back of her neck. "There is Ash and Kiera, though I haven't seen Ash since the first night I was here. Kiera... Kiera seems good intentioned, but a little... spastic. I'm not sure if I trust her in a very sensitive situation."
It felt good to be planning, and it felt good to know that David would be at her back. It'd been a while since Suji'd really had a 'wingman,' especially after Luce had left NYC. Doing stuff, stuff that would work was both productive and self-rewarding.
((Takes place either the night of Hiilani's arrival, or the night after, depending on if anything crazy happens in that thread that would otherwise interfere.))
It was getting dark out: a couple of the Animorphs were out patrolling, and it wasn't yet deep enough night that everyone would be asleep. Suji had been mulling over the incident in the city for more than a day now, and she'd had the chance to conduct her own nighttime mission each night since then. The information she was compiling was valuable; it didn't exactly spell a solution out for her, but she was starting to formulate a solid plan.
While it had been nice to be able to focus on saving Karl rather than have to spend all of her waking hours wondering how Toby was going to deliberately screw someone over, it didn't change that Suji had to face the fact that David might end up getting them all screwed over unintentionally. She had not told Raven or Riley about what happened, and in no way intended to. She hadn't heard either of them talk action since Toby had showed up, and it wasn't clear to her if they really meant to do something about it at all... though Toby would probably force their hands in the end.
But she needed to talk to David. She'd been all but avoiding him the past few days; her good-natured feelings towards him had soured into ones of angered betrayal. Not only had she trusted him as a person, Suji had also trusted her judgment that David could be controlled, could be counted on. To be let down by a person was bad enough: to be let down by her own reasoning facilities was shameful on top of it. It was nothing she would ever forget, that much was certain.
All the same, yes, she needed to talk to him. Because it was his brother she was devising a plan to save, and maybe even more-so because David himself was a critical part of the plan. The thought had surfaced regularly: if she could do it without him, would she? The answer that kept being returned to her, despite the moral misgivings she did feel alongside of it, was this: probably.
But second chances were not something that came easily to Suji. And she was going to make sure David knew that, and if she felt that he wasn't up to the task, she wasn't going to risk it. Suji wouldn't be the one that got them all killed because she threw unearned trust around willy-nilly.
Suji quietly walked to David's door. The rooms weren't big, but at least everyone had their own. She raised her hand and knocked, calling out quietly: "David? It's Suji. We need to talk."
David:
David sucked in breath as his foot was sliced open by a piece of the bowl he'd thrown, lying on the floor, missed during his half-hearted attempt to clean up the smashed bowl and the shredded book. As it was, he wasn't looking forward to talking to Suji. He wasn't sure if he was angry at her or ashamed of himself after his would-be stab at rescuing Karl.
He eased the door open. There she was. No turning back. He drew in breath. "Yes?" he said sullenly.
Suji:
Suji gauged him. He wasn't happy to see her, clearly. That was fine--she wasn't particularly looking forward to this either, but it had to be done. "We need to talk about our last flight." Her voice was low, but not a whisper. Certainly not loud enough to carry far at all. "We can talk in your room or my room." It wasn't like it would be a long walk, either way.
Suji had her poker face up, as always. She'd been furious then, and the anger was still burning hot inside of her, but you didn't start off this kind of conversation with that kind of emotion. In fact, anger would do nothing but hurt her here: at least, the kind of loud, stormy rage that she really wanted to let out.
David:
"I'm fine with either one," he said. She had her poker face up. No matter, he could tell what emotion must be seething under that blank face. Anger. Anger rightfully directed at him. He also tried to keep his face blank.
It wasn't too hard. He was tired, and his face was usually pretty blank when he was tired. It had, after all, getting flipped over Hiilani's shoulder, burning his hand, now his foot was bleeding, and on top of all that, he had to have a conversation about one of the biggest mistakes of his life. His day was going just perfectly.
Suji:
"All right then." Suji slipped past him, into his room, and indicated for him to close the door. There wasn't much space in their rooms for one person--two wasn't any better. Still, it present a micron of privacy, and Suji needed to talk to him. He looked tired, completely worn out... but it wasn't as if she could just turn back now. Not only did things need to get into motion relatively soon, she wasn't particularly given to cutting him slack at the moment.
"You know why I'm here, and so I'm going to spare you as much of the lecture as possible--though you earned it twice-over the other day, with what you pulled." She didn't sit down, but she didn't get in his face either. Calm. Had to maintain focus, distance. "I was already taking a risk by suggesting we fly out there. I will take responsibility for that. And I also take responsibility for the fact that I trusted you. What you did... what could have happened..." Suji felt the anger boiling inside of her rising up, contorting her face, and she pushed it down again. "If I'm ever going to work alongside you again, I need to know that I can trust you. Because right now, I think I'm seeing why no one around here even bothers to talk about missions or fighting bad guys or saving the good guys."
David:
David could have lashed out. That would have proven her point, it wouldn't have made her feel better, and nothing would change. He could have made excuses, which would have basically the same effect. Bearing all this in mind, he stood by stoically and listened. It didn't make him feel any better, but at least he was showing her that he still had reason left in him, and that her words weren't bouncing off a stubborn wall.
Still, it bit deep when she implied that he was the reason they hadn't done anything to the yeerks yet. That was not a fair assumption. They hadn't done anything to the yeerks because there'd been nothing to do. As far as he knew, all the yeerks were doing was searching for the last handful of free humans to turn them into hosts. And they'd been doing the only thing they could do about that: turn those free humans into animorphs first.
He held his tongue.
Suji:
No response. She wasn't positive that was what she was looking for, but she knew that it was better than some alternatives. Suji watched him carefully; if she knew how he reacted to this, maybe she'd know how he'd react if given another chance. She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look David, I'm going to level with you. We've got a faction leader who's more concerned with playing mommy than fighting a war, another de facto leader who might be able to get something done if he wasn't so busy playing husband, a couple members I barely even see because they're usually out patrolling--which so far seems more like a synonym for 'morphing and trying to escape my situation' than anything else, Toby who I don't trust an inch, and now another new girl who might be good at all this at some point, but still has to learn the ropes."
It was a lot to put on the line: though she wouldn't have said she'd been dishonest with David, this was definitely the most open she'd been with anyone here. That it itself was a sliver of trust. Suji needed to see what he'd do with it. "All we're doing right now, David, is hiding. And if everyone is more intent on that than fighting, that's fine. At least it hopefully keeps everyone safe. But you don't save people by hiding. I want to change that. I'm not saying we storm the pool, but I think we have a still have a shot had doing something." She looked him in the eyes, full bore intensity: there wasn't anger there, but determination. A challenge that said that if he stepped up, she'd be expecting a lot of him. A second chance.
"I need to be able to trust you at my back, that you won't do something rash that gets us all killed. I need you to be able to trust me enough that you know I have your best interests in mind, and that I'll keep us alive to fight another day." She paused. "So can I trust you? Will you trust me?"
David:
Suddenly, David wasn't sure where this was going. Was she talking about him, or was she putting down the enitre faction? Oh, yes, it still was about him. Could she trust him? He thought. If he saw Karl again, what would he do? Before, he had been getting so impatient to rescue Karl, so when he'd seen him on the street, he wasn't sure he'd get another chance. It was like Suji had said, Raven and Riley seemed more interested in being parents than being faction leaders. The point was, now his mind was a lot clearer. He was more focused.
More dangerous.
Yes, if he saw Karl again, he could wait. He could be trusted. If there was one thing David was good at, it was learning from his mistakes. He nodded. "You can trust me. I trust you as long as you aren't planning on deposing Raven and Riley." He'd meant that as a joke, but suddenly the thought occurred to him. What if she was? He trusted her, but, especially after that speech, he couldn't bring himself to put it past her.
His face, for once, betrayed no sign of this thought. He smiled a little, knowing that he was learning to control his face.
Suji:
Suji nodded. He did seem to understand now, and he looked more... ready. A little less like one more scared kid whose morphing ability bought them escapism, rather than responsibility. When he mentioned deposing Raven and Riley though, Suji's face shifted: she'd been taking this very seriously, but now she found herself laughing. Not at him, but at the idea of it. If Suji didn't exactly think that Raven or Riley was doing much in the way of leading, it didn't mean that she envied their position. If anything, they being the 'real' leaders--at least, them worrying about the rest of the faction--meant that Suji felt freer to handle her own projects; one of which was Karl.
Besides, what was he talking? A coup? Mutiny? She continued to laugh, and shook her head. "No. No I'm not, please believe me there. Not only am I not keen on the idea of organizing some kind of revolt, I have no intention of weakening any faction though some kind of inner-political strife. Raven and Riley are good at what they do, which seems to be running a way-house for lost kids. But that doesn't mean I can't be good at what I do, which is planning things. And speaking of planning things..." Now that she felt she could trust him more (and seeing as how she needed him for the plan), Suji refocused her thoughts.
"I started working on a plan for saving Karl. But in order for it to go smoothly, it's going to require you to be calm in the face of pretty sizable danger. Not the fighting kind--but the kind that comes with espionage and what-have-you."
David:
David swallowed. Not going on a suicidal "rescue Karl" mission, that he was sure he could do. Stay sane in the face of espionage, however... "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm not sure because I've never done it before. It might just depend on the circumstances. I mean, I'd feel a lot safer in cockroach morph than in, say, raccoon morph. Also, where exactly would I be spying?"
Espionage... he hated suspenseful scenes in movies, where the "good guy" was always on the verge of being discovered. They made him tense to the point of feeling sick. And if he was going to be the "good guy" about to get caught, he wasn't sure how he'd handle it.
Suji:
Suji smirked a little. His response wasn't encouraging, but it was honest, and she trusted it more than if he'd jumped to tell her he could do anything. She also didn't want to sugarcoat it--she didn't believe in making surprises out of things that could be accounted for ahead of time. "Well... maybe espionage wasn't the right word. At least, I didn't mean spying so much as... deception. The part that's going to be most crucial in this, you'll need to pretend to be your brother. That's where being twins will come in handy."
She didn't think he was going to like the sound of that, especially after he'd talked about feeling safer as a cockroach. "I'll be there the whole time, and I can probably feed you what to say if necessary, but you'll need to do it. Hopefully not for long, and it should only be one encounter. If you think that you won't be able to, there is another way I think we can try this, but... that one has other consequences."
David:
Consequences didn't sound too pleasant when she said it. He would rather risk pretending to be Karl. Besides, hadn't he done just that every year on April Fools from when he was five until he was twelve? "Yeah, I can pretend to be Karl," he said. "I don't know about pretending to be a yeerk, but I can pretend to be Karl. Just one thing: there's a hat that I need."
Explain, David, she doesn't know Karl as well as you do. "Karl never goes anywhere without his Cubs hat, and aparently, the yeerk in his head does the same, because he was wearing it when... you know..." Suddenly, what he was planning to do hit him full force in the stomach, like a bettering ram. He was planning on sneaking somewhere, probably somewhere where there were a lot of yeerks. And he would be human when he did. Not a cockroach, not even a fossa, a human. Himself human, to make things worse.
"Where exactly would I be going?" he asked nervously.
Suji:
"You'll have the hat." Suji rubbed the back of her neck. "In fact, you'll have his entire wardrobe." Now that the tenser parts were over with, Suji went to sit down on his bed. She didn't think he'd mind. From there she looked over at him, gauging him. Now, now came explaining. Now came bringing the plan that was inside her head out into the light. And that meant seeing where the holes might be, if she hadn't thought it over well enough.
"For the past couple days I've been following Karl here and there. At night I was an owl, and during the day I used my vulture morph. I've determined where he works, and last night I got to confirm something that I'd started to suspect. His Controller and what seems like his Controller's best friend spend a lot of time together, and they go to the pool together every three days." She didn't divulge exactly how she'd gotten the information: it'd been dangerous, sitting on the window ledge of Karl's apartment, practically inside the room, as her tiny owl. Thankfully it had ears almost as sharp as its eyes.
"So we're going to go over to his apartment on day three, after he gets off work but before his buddy is scheduled to arrive. And we're going to hold him there until... until it's done."
David:
David nodded, understanding where this was going. It was a plan that could work, but the problem was... "What about when I'm in the pool?" he asked. "First, what happens when I bend down and turn my head, and no yeerk falls out? Also, what about when it's time to put the yeerk back in? Then I'll have a yeerk in my head, and I'm not okay with that."
A small part of his mind was clamoring to forget the dangers. This was Karl, after all. He squashed that bit of mind under the embarrassment of the past few days.
Suji:
Suji blinked at him for a second, and then shook her head. "No, no. Once we're inside, Karl is not walking back out of his apartment with a Yeerk in his head. We'll starve the thing then and there--it'll take maybe a day at most, probably not longer than six or eight hours, considering what time they talked about always heading over there. We won't even have to go near the pool itself. And when it's over, we morph and fly out--or you hitch a ride as a roach--and we direct Karl back here."
She continued to watch him, judging his reactions. "You'll need to pretend to be him when his friend comes to pick him up. You'll tell him that something came up at work, and they're asking you to work another shift, so you had to go to the pool earlier in the day, and that you're sorry about it. If all goes well his friend might be a little pouty, but not suspicious."
David:
Ah. That made things much better. There would be no going into the yeerk pool. Plus, he found the idea of a slug pouting oddly intriguing.
"All right," he said. "I can do that." Especially if it meant saving Karl. That was always a plus. "And Suji... I'm sorry. I don't think I've said that yet."
Suji:
Suji saw the relief on David's face, and felt a similar emotion loosen the knot that had worked it's way into her guts. David could do this, right? Yes. He could because he had to to save his brother. And she'd be there, and she could feed him lines where necessary. Might not be the most natural thing, but it would work. Suji'd been on worse missions in NYC. This would be a cake-walk. Right? Right.
He apologized, and Suji lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile. "Everyone makes mistakes." Everyone but you, right? Perfect little Suji? Calm and in control? Ready to save other people's siblings before her own? She pushed that thought aside. "Just, for the love of whatever deity you choose, don't let it happened again, right?" She tried to make it sound light-hearted, but underneath there was a very real fear, buried deep down. What if David couldn't help himself? What if he was already planning his next mad dash, the second he saw Karl?
Still, that's why she'd picked this plan. Because it wouldn't involve too much waiting on David's part. They could get in, and get out, twin in tow. "The next time he feeds is tomorrow evening. How soon can you be ready? I don't want to rush it, and if we don't go tomorrow, it's only three days longer to wait. But-" But you think Toby will sabotage it, the longer you let it lie? Yeah, that would go over well. He'd think she was paranoid. "But it's your call. Also, this is a two-person job. It's how I worked mostly in NYC, and it's how I tend to plan... rules out a lot of variables. But is there anyone you'd wanna bring from the faction?"
Suji knew that she'd be catching hell and high water for this. And maybe it was some kind of glorified rebellious-teen thing, to buck against local authority. But in the end, what she'd said was true: she planned best when she could eliminate it down to as few people involved as possible--which usually meant her, and maybe another person. "Just let's not bring Toby, eh?" She laughed a little, but her tone was still serious.
David:
The words "let's do it now" were on his lips, but he bit them back. He thought for a second. "I think... I think we should wait, and make sure I know what I'm supposed to say, so that it seems more natural. Also, that way, we can maybe practice... You know, run through the plan and cut down the time it takes to execute. Besides, I think we should bring Hiilani, if she's willing. Face it, we both know that she can keep her cool when she's attacked, she's good in a fight, and we know she won't be dashing off to save someone the second she sees them."
Did I just think of that by myself? "But we don't have to bring Toby if you don't want to." He couldn't think of anything he wanted more from the faction than Hiilani. After all, she was martial artist.
Suji:
Suji nodded a little. More planning wouldn't hurt, though she wasn't sure if they could 'cut down on the time'. It wasn't a drill: it would take as long as it would take, unfortunately, and that all depended on how long it would take the Yeerk to starve. They could be there for a couple hours, or they could be there for twelve. But David needed to be as comfortable as possible, in any case.
"I'm not sure if we can say how good she'd be in a real fight just from the first incident with her. Not that I'm disagreeing, it might be a good idea to take her. But if there was a real fight--one with an armed opponent--I don't think all the karate in the world would save her or us. Which is why I'm not planning on putting us in a situation where there will be combat. Do you know what morphs she took? That's probably the best way to start choosing people. I was figuring that I could show you the apartment sometime so you know how to get there, and then when we went, I'd morph roach and hitch a ride on your robin. There's no way I'd be able to sneak anywhere close as a vulture. And it won't be dark enough just then for the owl morph."
David:
"She has a parrot and a monkey," David said. "I was there when they gave her her morphs. I don't know how helpful those will be, but it can't hurt, right?"
He was already battling in his mind. Part of him was still ready to just swoop in and carry Karl away, but the other part of him could remember how that had worked out last time. And that part of him was stronger. It kept him focused on what would actually save Karl. Meanwhile the part of him that was in control when he abandoned all reason the other day gave him the will to save Karl, and he needed that too. In moderation, anyway.
Suji:
Suji winced a little. Unfortunately, it could hurt. As much as she'd hated to admit it, Toby had had a point about the vulture morph: birds in general weren't as common as they used to be, and if they were going to be close enough for humans to make them out, she wanted them to be as small and brown as possible.
Which was why she was going to be a cockroach riding in on David, rather than trying to swoop in on her 2 meter long wings. The flight morphs they were taking had to be something that the host mind would easily write off as background scenery, so that the Yeerk might pass it over by default.
"...how...bright is the parrot? Did you see by any chance?"
David:
"No, I haven't seen her morph yet," he said. "But, it can't be that big, right? And, well, if it's not big..." He trailed off. Even if it wasn't big, people would still notice if it was brightly colored.
"We can ask her about it," he said. "Because, I mean, if we're going to be restraining Karl, well, I want someone who can do that quickly and painlessly. And Hiilani can probably do that."
Suji:
You put a lot of stock in her just because she flipped you like a sack of potatoes, Suji thought, but didn't say. She'd mentioned having a black belt, but Suji had had her own minor experience with the martial arts industry. There was a big difference from throwing an inexperienced attacker versus subduing someone 'quickly and painlessly'. That, and having a black belt in martial arts was a lot like getting published. Maybe you wrote a best-seller, or maybe you got half a page of space on an obscure online magazine with a readership base of 15 people, 14 of which ran the site.
Not that the extra help would be a bad thing. It wouldn't. But Suji was in no way going to rely on Hiilani's possible experience with real combat. If her morphs were impossible to transport into the city, there was just no way they could afford to bring her. If she could get a bug morph, or a more inconspicuous bird, then Suji would be won over, easily. "We'll have to see. It'll be early evening when we go, which is just too much light for something bright red or green flapping around the city. I agree that she could be useful."
David:
"Alright," he said. "So we have three days to work out the details. Should we tell Raven or Riley?" Now that he thought about it, they probably wouldn't be the happiest people on the planet over this plan. Even with him and Karl out of the picture. "Or, maybe the less they know, the better?"
Soon, Karl, he thought. I'm coming for you. No slug can control you while I'm around.
Suji:
Suji tensed, though only momentarily. She hadn't wanted to be the one to ask the question: better that David air it. After all, he'd already seemed to have some suspicion that she wanted to usurp them, though he probably didn't wholly believe it. That was not a thought that Suji had wanted to feed or give credence to.
"It's... tricky. They're going to be very angry if we don't tell them. On the other hand, they're going to be angry that we took a random fly into the city, and even angrier that I led it, and angrier still that I've been over there a decent amount the past few days, without telling anymore." She licked her lips. "I am a firm believer in the idea that they less people you have to account for, the smoother a plan goes. And to be perfectly honest, it's not like Raven can help much at this point. Riley maybe, but Raven can neither morph if we need her, or even give well-reasoned advice, seeing as she won't be able to spy with us. But that's the choice she'd making."
Suji tried not to domineer the conversation, and already felt uncomfortable saying as much as she had. "Do you think Riley would be able to help? The real problem is that once we invite Riley, we inherently are inviting Raven into the fold."
David:
"Okay, so we won't tell them," said David. "One last question. How do we get out of there once Karl's free? He can't exactly turn into a cockroach." The thought had just suddenly occurred to him. He hadn't even considered that she hadn't said anything about the epilogue before, he'd just sort of... assumed they'd just walk away?
Yeah, that would work. That would work just fine and dandy. Well, maybe Karl would know a few tricks if Suji didn't have a plan.
Suji:
"There's nothing stopping Karl from walking out of the city. I'm sure..." There wasn't really a delicate way to put this, but she did avert her eyes and lower her voice. "I'm sure that he's been a Controller long enough to know how the system works, what to say." There was a flash of a horrible thought: what if he doesn't want to leave?
What if the idea of being an Animorph, of fighting, was more terrifying than the idea of eternal enslavement? Suji pushed that thought away as quickly as it surfaced. "We, on the other hand, stay overhead and give him cover. Or I give him cover--it'll probably be dark by then, and I'll be in owl morph. You can go roach for that ride."
David:
She looked like she wanted to sugar coat what she was about to say, and it did hurt a bit, but it was the truth, David knew it. He had faced that truth many times before, and it didn't bother him as much anymore. Especially since now there was a way to change the fact upholding that truth. Karl would soon have his free will back.
And then... well, and then they'd see what happened. Karl could probably join the Chicago faction and they'd be unstoppable. The corners of David's mouth twitched. Yeah, right. Unstoppable. What makes you unstoppable, again? Just because you're twins? Still. Having Karl on the team would make things much better.
Suji:
"So, we need to find out what kind of parrot Hiilani has. If it's too bright, it's out of the question. We will not be telling Raven or Riley. Toby is a no. All that is agreed upon." Suji rubbed the back of her neck. "There is Ash and Kiera, though I haven't seen Ash since the first night I was here. Kiera... Kiera seems good intentioned, but a little... spastic. I'm not sure if I trust her in a very sensitive situation."
It felt good to be planning, and it felt good to know that David would be at her back. It'd been a while since Suji'd really had a 'wingman,' especially after Luce had left NYC. Doing stuff, stuff that would work was both productive and self-rewarding.