What can't we face?

[dexter]

Izzi:
Izzi and Ouca were both willing their legs to run right now. They needed to get back to the YPM headquarters as soon as possible. Acro needed to be informed of the... situation. <<How could I have been this stupid?>> Ouca asked himself. He kept blaming himself for what happened, even though technically Izzi had been in control at the time. <<Now's not the time for this,>> Izzi told him, pushing them faster. <<You're right,>> he responded. <<We have to get to Acro. Action's must be taken.>> Izzi saw his plan flash through their head. <<NO!>> she told him, halting suddenly. <<No, you can't!>>

<<We have to keep moving,>> Ouca said, taking control and resuming their previous pace. <<Ouca, there are other options. We can run, hide! It doesn't have to be like that.>> Ouca didn't respond. Izzi knew it was pointless to pursue the topic right now. There was no reasoning with him when he went silent. Her only hope was that Mark could talk some kind of sense into him. The headquarters floated into view. It was an old abandoned office buildings. Plenty of room... makeshift beds for the members with nowhere to go. Plus there was what remained of a kitchen, so they could store food, which was a definite perk. One of the few, of course, but a perk nonetheless. As soon as they were inside, Ouca called out for Acro, going from room to room on the 4th floor, his usual haunt.

Charlie:
<<Just another day, huh?>> Mark commented to Acro. <<Yeah, just another one>> Arco agreed. They were reading a book, which was slightly odd since they both read a different paces. But they made it work somehow. They didn't have much work to do, so they had ducked out to headquarters for a little R&R.

Though soon Acro's name was being called. <<So much for some rest huh?>> Mark asked him. <<Yeah, oh well let's see what'd up>> Acro replied. He put the book down and moved them out into the hall. He noticed it was Ouca. Though he seemed panicked a bit.

"Over here," he called out. "Where's the fire?"

Izzi:
<<Let me talk, please,>> Izzi asked as they finally located Mark/Acro. <<One second,>> Ouca told her, shocking Izzi a bit. He had never refused her when she'd asked for control until this day. Silently, but highly peeved, she sat back and waited for Ouca to finish talking. "We have a situation, Acro. We've been discovered." <<You're going to have to give him more than that,>> Izzi insisted, but Ouca seemed to be avoiding the full story. There was no particular reason that Izzi could find, but his silence was inexplainable. "I think the only option we have at this point is..." However, Izzi cut him off in the middle of his sentence, unwilling to let Ouca try to persuade Acro until he and Mark had all the facts.

<<OUCA! Let me speak. NOW!>> she demanded, highly irritated with Ouca. His idea of an "only option" was the LAST thing that Izzi was willing to allow. She'd flee with him to Mexico be fore she'd ever... <<Ok,ok,>> Ouca conceeded finally. Izzi happily took control of her own mouth. "Acro, my father is onto me. We've got to figure something out. Ouca's idea..." She paused for a second, unwilling to even say the words. "Ouca's idea is not an option. You have to help us. You have to help us figure something out." Izzi was panicking. She didn't know what to say or what to do, and Ouca certainly wasn't calming her down.

Charlie:
Acro and Mark waited ot hear what Ouca and Izzi had to say. It wasn't good news to say the least. <<They've been discovered? Oh.....that just can't be good>> Mark said in thier head. <<No. No it can not....>> Acro replied. Mark's face had frowned at this point. But it also looked like he was thinking too. Though soon Ouca was cut off and Izzi had begun to speak.

"Your father's on to you?" Acro repeated. <<Uh-oh. I wonder how much he knows. Ask her what happened>> Mark told Aco. <<I will, but let's calm her down first.>> Acro replied. "Slow down, Izzi." he told her. "Take a deep breath. Now, what happened exactly? How is your father on to you, and how much does he suspect?" They couldn't come up with a solution unless they new the whole situation.

Izzi:
Acro was right. Izzi needed to calm down. She usually didn't freak out like this. She was usually a very calm, cool, collected individual. She had to be, after all. How could she expect to pass for a controller if she couldn't control her own damn emotions. Soon her breathing slowed as she thought of other things. Like the fact that she found it weird that she has just now grown to tell the difference between when Acro and Mark were talking. Honestly, now that she had it, she could hardly believe that she hadn't seen the differences earlier. Her mind eased a bit as she prepared to tell the story. "Well," she began, "I was debriefing Remba 482 on last week's sabotage mission..."

~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback
Izzi stood outside a long closed down Aeropostale, talking to Remba 482 and her host Lexi. The two were leaned comfortably against a wall, Izzi's back too close to an open alleyway for safety, but no one ever came to this part of town anymore. Minimal risk in the scheme of it all. An idle part of her brain wondered if the doors were open. Perhaps she could find a new pair of jeans so that she could could convince Nibor 239 that she'd gone shopping. He would believe it because her dad would believe it. A totally solid lie. The active part of her brain, however, was focused on debriefing Remba 482 on a mission they had just completed. She was slightly disappointed in herself. Remba's identity had been compromised in the process, something totally avoidable...

"At least the mission was a success. Inali 430 has informed us that your work set back the weapons manufacturing a month at least." She tried to make her voice sound cheerful, but it just wouldn't work. "There is a bug fighter leaving from 53 East Maple. You're on it if you want... I mean.. It's better than..." her words stopped immediately as Lexi gasped. At the same exact moment she felt the business end of a dracon beam press against the crown of her head. "Hands where I can see them," the wielder ordered. Izzi's blood turned to ice. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Hands in the air, she slowly turned around to face her father. "Run, Lexi. I can handle this," she ordered, her voice calm.She could tell by the way Nibor 239 tensed her father's arm, mixed with the soft patter of Lexi's feet that it was just the two of them now.

"What are you doing here, Ouca? You'd better have a damn good excuse for the conversation I just heard, otherwise..." He was distracted. Too busy talking. Trying to find a logical explanation. Nibor and her father had truly become one person. Just because it was her father's body standing in front of her didn't mean she would be gentle. She knew that somewhere in there her father would understand. As Nibor prattled on, Izzi snatched the dracon beam he was holding loosely in his hand. Rather than holding it threateningly, she quickly bashed him over the head, sending him to the ground instantly.

~~~~~~~~~

"And then I ran," Izzi finished. "And I didn't stop until I got here."

Charlie:
Acro and Mark watched as Izzi's breathing slowed down. She was calming down which was good. It wasn't often he saw her worried, so obivously it had to be pretty bad for her to be worked up. Soon though she started to speak and began her story. <<Why do I have the feeling this story isn't going to be a very good one?>> Mark asked Acro. <<Because she wouldn't be here if it was.>> Acro replied.

They listened to her story, nodding and taking in every word. So her father knew she was YPM. And so she knocked him out and then ran. <<Yeah.....that isn't good>> Mark commented to Acro. "Alright, so from the sound of it your identity has been compromised....," Acro told her after she finished, sounding deep in thought. "How are we gonna solve this...?" Though then it hit him.

"Do you think you were followed here Izzi?" he asked. "Do you think your father had enough time to see where you went and call for backup? And we do need to think of what options are left to us......."

Izzi:
"I'm not sure," Izzi answered honestly. Niether she nor Ouca had thought much about being followed. Izzi had panicked and fled plain and simple. There had been no legitimate thought process to anything that she had just done. "I'm not even sure if he was alone in the first place," she admitted. "For all I know he could have had a partner hiding in the alleyway or watching from across the street. I should have guessed that they would be tailing Lexi." Ouca had been blaming himself, but both of them knew that the blame for this fiasco belonged to Izzi. If it had been any controller but Nibor... any host but her father, Izzi would have handled it rationally, logically, they way Ouca would have handled it.Her father was just a... touchy topic.

<<No, Ouca!>> she thought defiantly as his "plan" ran back through their mind, finally breaking the silence between them. <<Izzi, please,>> Ouca said calmly. <<Be rational. Just let me talk to him for a minute. Let me explain myself.>> Izzi didn't want to, but sheknew that she should let him. <<Okay...>> she told him. "Ouca wants to talk to you," she told Acro, before relinquishing power. <<Thank you,>> Ouca told her before turning his attention to Acro. "Acro, I have a plan... You're not going to like it.. but you know that Izzi and I can't run from this one. You know I can't handle life as a fugitive. And I think that there is only one way to fix this."

Charlie:
Acro shook his head as he took in this information. That wasn't good. She had no idea if there were any others there or not. They may have to evacuate the building real quick so it looked abandonded like it was supposed to. And who knew how many would be coming here if there were people coming. <<Think we can evacuate the building if we need to?>> Acro asked Mark. <<Its not a matter if we can. We'll have to if that happens>> Mark replied.

Soon Izzi said Ouca would like to speak and watched as the girl's demeanor changed. It was now Ouca again. And he had a plan. But as soon as he started explaining Acro and Mark had caught on to what he was planning. "You can't do that!" Mark suddenly yelled at him. Though soon he had that calm demeanor again. <<Sorry about that>> he apologized to Acro. <<Don't worry, I was thinking the same thing>> Acro replied.

"Anyway, are you sure that's the only way?" he asked. Though he sighed. "There really is no other option is there?" He couldn't think of any other options himself. How had it come to this?

Izzi:
Ouca had expected the response he got from Mark and Acro. They had worked side by side for a long time. "This is the only option. I won't run. Won't hide. I wont tear Izzi out of here, but I won't leave her to be infested by some sadistic pawn of the empire. And I know that my death alone won't stop that," he said. Izzi mentally flinched when he finally said it. Finally stopped beating around the bush and just came out with it. "However, I have an idea. You've heard the rumors, right? That a group of animorphs has come to Boston?" Surely Acro could derive what he meant. At the back of his thoughts, Ouca could hear Izzi sulking resentfully at Acro's reaction.

"The hardest part," Ouca said, finally unblocking what he'd been hiding, "is going to be what this will put Izzi through." <<Oh, no. You will NOT!>> If Izzi had been in control of their vocal chords, she would have screamed. <<You can not seriously think that...>> Ouca cut her off quickly. "Izzi needs to have all the information that I can possibly give her," Ouca told Acro, looking into his eyes. "The only way to do that," he added, "is through the fugue period..." Ouca couldn't finish what he'd started to say, but Izzi finished it in their head anyway. <<Which mean's I'm going to have to watch you... to feel you die... and do nothing...>>

Charlie:
Acro listened to Ouca as calmly as he could. He listened to what he wouldn't let happen to himself or Izzi. Though he wanted to scream out that he couldn't do that. Though Mark was doing that in thier head. <<We can't let him!>> he told Acro, though knowing full well they didn't have any other options. <<...I think we have to. There aren't any other options>>

Though Ouca soon said he had an idea. "Yeah, we heard that. We've been trying to find a way to make contact, but no luck," he told him. Though neither him nor Mark liked his next suggestion. "We can't have you go through that!" this time it was Acro who made the outburst. "You.....you want to go through that? No, there has to be another option." He couldn't let him go through that. It was one of if not the most horrible way for a Yeerk to die. And he didn't want to allow that to happen.

Izzi:
"I'm sure that they will make contact when it's safe for them,"Ouca said calmly. <<I won't do it.>> Izzi pouted. Her defiance however, was undercut a bit by the fleeting thought in her head about flying. She immediately squashed it, but not before Ouca saw it. <<Izzi, think about it. It's the only way for you to safely stay in the fight. You can't run infiltration with the YPM if you're free. With the Animorphs you can still make a difference!>> Izzi knew he was right, but refused to admit it consiously. Instead she returned to sulking. As much as Ouca wanted to continue talking to her, to convice her to see the beaty in the madness of his plan, she was still to raw of the news. She needed time. And although Ouca didn't understand that, he excepted it.

"Acro, I understand that starvation will be mentally and emotionally painful on both Izzi and myself," he said calmly. He felt Izzi give a 'yeah, no shit' laugh in the back of their mind causing him to pause for a second to collect himself. "But think about it. It would take decades for me to recount ALL the information piece by piece. Like my old host, Hector, who had previously been host to an experimental designer in the weapons industry. Or Yvonne, prior host to a 'special friend' of Sub-Viser 87. In the fugue period, she'll see all that information and more. It just makes the most sense. We went to the yeerk pool this morning. So unless you can come up with something better in the next three days..."


Charlie:
Acro nodded. "Yeah, they probably will." he told him. "But I think we need to get going on that and contact them." He still couldn't believe what Ouca was suggesting. There had to be another way. There had to. <<You keep thinking of something else they can do, Mark.>> Acro told him. <<I'm trying, but nothing's coming to mind.>> Mark replied.

Acro listened to the rest of what Ouca had to say. "There has to be another way, Ouca" he told him. "We can't put you both through that. I can't put you through that." Though Ouca's last statement showed he had made up his mind already. He had choosen to die and to die one fo the worst ways a Yeerk can die.

"Give us two days. We'll keep you in hiding for now. If we don't come up with another plan in two days.....then I guess we have no choice," he told them.

Izzi:
<<Are you KIDDING ME?>> Izzi thought loudly. <<Let me talk,>> she demanded, immediately feeling Ouca let go of control. "Acro, you can't seriously be thinking about going along with this! It's insanity!" There was panic in her voice, although she held her demeanor calm. "It's not yanking me out of here if I leave voluntarily. There is still a bug fighter leaving tonight. We could be on it and...." <<Izzi,>> Ouca interupted, <<Do you really think that Nibor will let it get off the ground after he heard you mention it to Remba?>> Izzi sighed in defeat. Ouca was right about that one. But that ship wasn't the only way out of the city. They could walk, drive, whatever, as long as it got them as far away from Boston as possible.

That's when Izzi's eyes first noticed it. The silent blinking light near the stairwell. <<That's the silent alarm..>> Ouca said, telling Izzi what she already knew. "Shit..." she muttered silently. "They must have followed me. I am so sorry Acro." Izzi handed the reigns back to Ouca, letting him take point in what was sure to be a dangerous evacuation. "We don't know how much time we have," Ouca said, standing up quickly, "but we have to try to get everybody out." Quickly, he started movig, headed to clear out the 4th floor offices first.

Charlie:
Acro soon saw the sudden change in demeaner and it was Izzi speaking again. He didn't blame her for yelling. He was on the inside. He didn't want to go through with this at all. But their options were limited. "I'm not. Not yet. Mark and I are still thinking of other options," he told her. He would've continued but then he heard Izzi and looked where she was looking.

The slient alarm. That wasn't good. "Its alright Izzi," he told her. Ouca then came back into control and talked about evactuation. "Yes, we have to act quickly," he told them. He watched them begin to check the floors on this room. <<C'mon let's go clear the floor below>>Mark told Acro. <<Agreed>> Acro replied.

Acro then rushed to the stairs and headed for the third floor. They hopefully still had some time. They'd get everybody out of here. They had to.

Quinn:
Aslin 386 was, in fact, in that alleyway with Nibor. Aslin did, in fact, tail Remba and take her out of the picture. And now, Aslin had orders from Nibor to quickly follow Ouca, the Yeerk infesting the body of Nibor's host's daughter, and anybody else helping him, which in this case meant Arco. Aslin was able to follow Ouca into the abandoned building, which was quite possibly the YPM hideout, if not just a hideout for some of the YPM members. This was unnacceptable. The weapons manufacturing was set back, and these Yeerks were quite possibly the ones behind other attacks in the past.

Aslin slipped into the building after giving Ouca some adequate time to stay away form the entrance of the building, although he was unaware that he tripped the silent alarm that would cause chaos in only a few minutes. Once he was inside, he followed the last calls of Ouca for Arco, another prime target Aslin decided, ascedning the stairs, and creeping through the halls trying to find Ouca.

He had just ducked into a third floor room when Arco came flying down the stairs, listening carefully. Some type of alarm must have been raised, he must have been spotted somewhere along the way. Careless. Stupid. Amateur. Still, there was no time. Now he still had some semblence of surprise on the two, and when they closed in on the room. He pressed a button that sat atop a small signaling device, which would call for back-up where the signal was eminating from.

He waited, perched on the inside of the wall, waiting, waiting, and then his opening came. He launched himself out of the room, arms open to apprehend Arco in a tackle. After that, he could chase after Ouca.

Zach:
Any free humans walking down the street would have likely seen Ediv 301 as just some drugged up human. His host wasn't admittedly the cleanest around, and as far as Ediv was concerned, didn't actually have any idea that he wasn't in control of his mind. He couldn't explain it, but somehow the host was on what could be described as a permanent high. Which actually made Ediv's job easier. Sure he was a bit slower than most, but he could take a lot more damage than the average controller before feeling any pain, and during bouts of depression, he could indulge himself on the memories of a nice trip the host had that involved mushrooms and helium.

It also had its drawbacks, naturally. Being slow also meant that it took him longer to go into battle or respond to alarms. This case was no different, with the exception that he just happened to be passing by when he received the signal. Third floor, here I come, he thought to himself as he turned into the building. It took Ediv a few moments to find the stairwell, but after he did, it was a simple matter of keep climbing until he reached the third floor. Naturally just in time to see Aslin jump out of a wall.

That scene proved to be a bit too much for the host who promptly decided that it would be a good time to re-claim his mind. Clearly Ediv wasn't expecting any sort of attack from his docile hippy host, and lost the battle for the brain before it even began. "Du-ude, you just come flying out of the fucking wall ... how the hell did you do that?"

Luckily, at least for Ediv, quickly lost interest in the matter, choosing instead to focus on a dead leaf in a corner of the room. He quickly took control back of the body and darted forward to assist Aslin in the apprehension. "Sorry 'bout that," he said. "First time I've ever lost control."

He could still here the host in the back of the mind singing some obnoxious little tune about making love instead of war. <<Will you just shut up?!>> he finally shouted at him.

<<Sure thing little imaginary dude, but from now on, call me Craig.>>

Quinn:
Luckily for Aslin, his host's mind gave up any hope long ago, so he didn't have to bother with temporary host takeovers. That left him complete control over his body and mind, and while he still couldn't break the host's addiction to caffiene, he wasn't slowed down any. And at the moment, he was too busy with trying to capture the enemy to worry about the need for a sweetened beverage. The alarm was raised, and the Yeerk Peace Movement members that he stumbled upon by following Ouca into the building were now trying to evacuate. Quickly, he tugged the walkie-talkie off of his pants, and jammed down on the button. "Whoever gets here, jam the doors. Multiple hostiles trying to evacuate the building, jamming the doors will increase our chances of capturing more."

He released the button and killed the volume as he moved swiftly up the stairs, checking the rooms for his intended targets. It sounded like it had come from the current floor, the fourth, or the fifth, Aslin couldn't be too sure with the weak human ears. He pulled out a Dracon gun, flicked the setting to a strong stun, and whipped into the closest room, finding no one. He did this for the following three rooms until he heard Arco come down the stairs, at which time he prepared to launch himself and tackle the guy.

However, it was a premature launch, and Aslin barely missed by less than a second. Arco was still on the move, and not to mention there was some weak Controller that arrived to help, although the help part was lacking. Instead his druggie host was wasting time, and letting Arco get away. "You worthless fool, get him!" Aslin cried, thrusting a finger in Arco's direction. He scrambled up himself, grabbing the gun he shoved in his pants, and aimed it at Arco. "You're coming in with us!" He said, squeezing the trigger. He fired three times, not waiting to see if any made contact before running after Arco--luckily his host's body had a great deal of stamina, and a burst of speed gave him an advantage to catch Arco.


Charlie:
Acro couldn't believe his luck. As he ran down the stairs he was almost grabbed by someone. Almost. Lucky for him, the one who tried had missed. But now he had someone that was going to be following him. And the headquarters was compromised. They needed to escape and move headquarters. <<Are we going to be able to evacuate the building?>> Mark asked Acro. <<We'll have to try>> he responded.

He soon heard dracon shots, three of them. He kept running, the shots whizzing past him. Soon there was an intersection in the hallway. Acro choose to go right. "Anyone that can hear me, run!" he yelled down the hall. Doors opened and people ran out of them. There was another door that led to a different staircase nearby. Hopefully he would reach it and go down another floor, maing sure people were leaving. But they had to escape soon. Back-up was probably coming and time was limited for them to escape.

Zach:
"Right away," Ediv replied to Aslin as he took off after Acro. Realizing that there was no possible way to outrun or even catch up to the other controller, he instead simply tailed him until he was out of sight. "Yeah ... yeah you better run!" He shouted after Acro, panting heavily as he leaned against a wall. After catching his breath, Ediv solemnly walked back to face Aslin, his mind flooded with excuses as for why he let Acro get away, and, of course, the completely sporadic thoughts of Craig the host when something caught his attention. It sounded as though someone or something was directly above him.

He grinned wildly, barely able to contain his excitement. This was his chance to redeem himself. Just because Acro escaped doesn't mean that whoever was up there would be so lucky. Rather than stalking past Aslin who was probably still pissed about the whole scene, he instead chose a different corridor, in hopes to circle around. To his surprise though, he instead discovered a second stairwell, which gave him a rather devious idea. He decided to follow the same strategy that Aslin used, and snuck up the stairs, hiding in a corner to prepare an ambush.

<<So what exactly are we doin' here anyway, imaginary dude?>>

<<My name is Ediv 301. You would do well to remember that. After all, your life hangs in the balance.>>

<<Yes sir, mister Ediv dude.>>

<<Nothing to do now but wait ... wait and be ready for whoever comes this way.>>

Kovu:
Tabre492 had been aroun the corner. He had been talking to a few of his "friends". Idiotic fools. But they had friends higher up, which made it easy to get information out of them. He was an informant to the YPM. He had given hordes of valuable information to Acro, but he had never been caught. He was there with two other controllers, they were spilling so much vital info it was almost funny. <<God these guys are stupid>> His host taunted them from within. Tabre silently laughed. Then the call came.

The two controllers, Talir594, and Feno501 laughed like bigshots and started heading toward the building. Tabre followed closely behind. <<If they're in trouble, we need to make sure Acro and Ouca are safe>>. Tabre signaled agreement to James, his host. The three of them walked into the building and started to race inside. As they reached the third floor Tabre saw Arco running away, it looked like he could take care of himself.

Tabre tried to sneak away and get to the fourth floor, to look for Ouca. Unfortunately those other idiots followed. As they reached the fourth floor they saw Izzi, directing evacu'ees out. Talir rushed foward and grabbed her, holding the tip of his dracon to her forehead. Feno moved foward, waving his dracon beam about, forcing YPM to the floor, this was gett ing really ugly really fast.

Tabre pulled out his own dracon, and pointed it at random YPM's. He set it to high stun, he had to get a quick shot at both of the others. He waited for an oppurtunity, and struck. TSEEEEW TSEEEEEEW!!!!! Two shots, two hits, Talir and Feno fell to the ground. Tabre rushed towards Ouca "Come on, we've got to get you out of here, controllers are pouring in, there is no time to spare." Tabre pulled her toward the stairs, trying to hurry.

Izzi:
The last group was exiting the final room on the floor when Ouca felt the barrel of a Dracon beam on the back of Izzi's head. Somewhere behind them a voice was yelling at the other YPM members to get on the ground. He turned around slowly to face the would-be assasin. <<Damn it,>> Ouca thought, sure that they weren't going to get out of this one. However, in his perifrial vision, Ouca could see the silver lining. A sheep in wolves clothing. Two dracon shots and both of the empire's rats were on the ground. "Thank god for you, Tabre," Ouca exclaimed and James' body rushed toward him. Tabre grabbed him by the arm, which irritated Ouca slightly. Luckily, Ouca easily slipped his arm from Tabre's grasp. "I am not the only person in this building," Ouca said. Some of the member's seemed to think that Ouca and Acro were for some reason more important to the movement, an untrue fact that they were trying to erase.

Ouca turned back to his colleagues who were picking themselves up off the floor. "Up and out, guys!" he screamed. "Make sure you use the main stairwell and not the emergency exits. We don't need a fire alarm," he ordered, directing them toward the front, but heading toward the back stairwell. "Come with me, please, Tabre." <<Ahem. Aren't you forgetting something?>> Izzi asked him, causeing Ouca to sigh in frustration. "Damn it," he muttered. Stopping inside one of the rooms. Dalti619, a YPM member, was away on buisness and had left her pet bunny alone and under Izzi's care. There was absolutely no way that she was just going to let Ouca leave it here. Quickly, he grabbed it from it's cage and continued running. One more corner to turn until they'd be at the back staircase.

Niether of them were expecting another controller (Ediv) to be standing just around the corner. He seemed to have been waiting, poised to pounce, but had obviously been caught off guard by the mass movement of the rest of the YPM. Subconsiously, Izzi yanked control back from Ouca, her arms loosening on the bunny in surprise. In the moment of leeway it had, the bunny kicked off out of Izzi's arms and onto the controller. "Screw the bunny. We're outta here," she said, not waiting for the aftermath of the fiasco to duck into the staircase.

Quinn:
Aslin let out a loud string of profanities in the direction of Ediv. Hadn't he just said to go after Arco? Hadn't he just tried to tackle him to the ground so that he couldn't get away? Yet the idiot stood there idly while Aslin chased after him, and let the YPM member, and someone in affiliation to Ouca get away, run off somewhere into the building while Ediv stood there and let it happen. Moving quickly, Aslin tightened his grip on the Dracon gun in his hand, flicking the knob up a few notches to make the beam stun his foe, but with some nice feelings of pain along with it. He reached Ediv who walked back towards him (only seconds before Ediv ran off), and forcefully pushed him aside. "Out of my way you worthless waste of space. I've got myself someone to catch. Go try and hold someone that isn't important, will you?"

Technically, they were all important, they were all conspiring against the Yeerk empire, they were all in some way aiding in hindering their attack and enslaving of the humans. This was the reason that Aslin tested the level he switched his Dracon gun to on a few humans that ran out into the hallway, watching them slump against the wall, and slide down onto the floor. He stepped over their sprawled bodies, trying to trace the path of Arco. He held the Dracon gun at the ready, loosely aimed to fire should Arco come into view.

Stalking his prey, only not exactly knowing where he was yet, Aslin moved through the halls, meeting little opposition until he heard Arco's voice. Telling them to evacuate. Aslin smirked to himself, he was sure that by now, more reinforcements must have shown up, and hopefully listened to him about making sure they couldn't get out the doors until someone that could get information out of them arrived. He swiftly moved through the halls, and then, finally, after going down a side stairwell and coming out on the floor Arco was able to get to, he found his prize. He leveled his Dracon at him, looking at him straight in the eye. "Try running again and see what happens," He growled, watching Arco's every movement.


Zach:
Being attacked by a rabbit is not something that a person expects, let alone prepares for. So you can imagine the surprise of Ediv 301 when, just as he was about to subdue Izzi, he instead found himself face to face with one of the long-eared creatures. Needless to say, his ambush strategy failed him. Instead of capturing Izzi/Ouca he found himself desperately trying to defend against the vicious creature. Admittedly, he didn’t have much experience working with earth creatures yet, but his host Craig was assuring him that rabbits were man-eating creatures. That he had seen it in a documentary about some sort of Grail.

He liked to consider himself a rational Yeerk, and as such continued to think rationally despite the long-eared abomination that was now hopping menacingly towards him. Think Ediv, think. There’s got to be some way you can use this to your advantage. Sure enough, an idea did brew in his head, an idea that he should have had a long time ago. As quickly as possible, the controller pulled a dracon out of a crudely made holster on his side. He pointed it directly at Izzi, and began shouting at the rabbit. “Hold it right there … or else the girl gets it.” Strangely enough, the threat seemed to have no effect on the rabbit, which kept bouncing ever so much closer to Ediv.

He began sweating, if his host’s memory was accurate, than this rabbit could easily bite his head off. He was not about to let that happen, and he quickly turned tail and ran. Unfortunately, he forgot about a certatin stairwell, which he fell down, ultimately landing in a dazed heap on the floor. The impact seemed to have rattled Ediv, who accidentally relinquished power back to Craig.

“Huh huh, flesh wound. Shrawberry.”

Try as he might, Ediv couldn’t regain control of the body. He had no idea what sort of gibberish Craig was babbling on about, but he could only imagine the sort of confusion it was causing for everybody involved in this raid.

Charlie:
Acro soon reached the door that led to the stairs. He had to make sure everyone was evacuating the building. They couldn't let everyone here be caught. Granted he still needed to get out, but he couldn't just not help everyone else get out. <<We have the second floor and first floor right? We need to at least try those floors>> Mark told him.

Though soon they had to stop. A controller had them at dracon point. <<Crap.....>> Acro said to Mark. <<You think you'll be able to tackle him before he gets a shot off?>> Mark asked Acro. <<What? You want to chance that?>> Acro asked back. <<Better than having to wait for an opening. He probably won't expect it>> Mark explained. Then without a second to spare, Acro tackled the controller hoping he could get the dracon out of his hands.

Quinn:
By the sounds of things, only a few more Controllers arrived to serve as reinforcements in the time since Aslin summoned them, which didn't make him happy. There were many aspects of this assualt that weren't making him happy, such as the Controller earlier that let Arco get away. If Aslin was in sight to see him cowering before a simple earth rabbit, he would have been outraged. But at the moment, his focus was following Arco and trying to apprehend them, since the girl was able to slip past him. Arco, though, he would serve as a more valuable specimen, with more information most likely. Silently, with his Dracon out and ready, Aslin moved through the halls trying to find him, to capture him, and to take him in to someone of authority. And he could only hope that other Yeerk Peace Movement members were being detained as he followed Arco.

Of course, with more Controllers coming, that probably meant that the YPM would summon more of their members to ensue in a gunfight. That was fine by him, seeing as the Empire had more members at their disposal than did the YPM. More expertly trained members on top of that, so Aslin wasn't worried about the stupid slugs that opposed to Empire, armed with guns. He moved through the stairwell, and found Arco, holding him at gunpoint. He didn't repsond to Aslin's threat, but he watched carefully, ready to pull the trigger should need be. It would be less beneficial should he die, but at least the YPM would be out a member. That being said, when Arco charged him, tackled him, a shot was fired off, hitting the wall behind Aslin as he tumbled to the floor, fighting to keep control of the gun in his hand. After struggling and trying to get his foe off of him, the gun slid away, far out of his immediate reach.

Not having to worry about the gun at the moment, Aslin braced his hosts body for impact as he headbutted Arco. After reeling for a moment, he was able to roll over, and take the advantage by trying to get the struggling YPM member beneath him. "That dolt back there might have let you run away, but I won't," Aslin hissed, his eyes darting over to where the Dracon gun lay.

Kovu:
Tabre rolled his eyes. Ouca didn't like to admit it, but he and Arco were some very important members. Tabre pulled a second dracon out of his pocket. "Here take this, it's usually better than a rabbit. I'll take the 2nd floor, try to hold off some of the Yeerk reinforcements, Make sure everyone is out. You make sure Arco and everyone on this floor is getting out." The top floors were cleared, they just needed to clear the last two floors. Tabre held his dracon in front of him as he headed down the stairs.

A few other YPM were already there, and armed. Dracon fire was flying across the hall. Tabre rushed into as room as dracon fire littered the wall. He glanced toward the enemy and started to fire. The Yeerks were falling. A few got through to the next floor, but only a few. Tabre moved behind a table that was thrown on its side. The table was in the middle of the hall, and made a great cover.

Tabre fired shot ater shot. He and his allies were pushing foward. They had two distinct advantages. 1. The Yeerks wanted to capture them, not kill them, the YPM was desperate, and would gladly kill, if it meant survival. 2. The Yeerks undereimated them, highly. The YPM had marksmen and trained fighters, they could fight, and they could win. Tabre shot another controller, he fell, burning and dying.

This fight was getting ugly. Tabre breathed slowly. He pushed the table foward, firing out of the side. He approached the other end of the hallway. His allies ran up behind him. Tabre aimed down to the first floor. The door had been upgraded into a sliding door, that automatically ulocked in an emergency to aid evacuation. Tabre fired. TSEEEEW!!!!!! The blast hit the panel next to the door. The door shut tight. Tabre smiled, no more Yeerks to deal with. Tabre instructed the YPM who were cowering on the floor, Now that the front door was closed, they would have to get out the hidden exit. Tabre moved around the second floor, instructing. They had to hurry. After everyone had been evacuated from the second floor, he moved up to the third looking for straglers.

Charlie:
Acro struggled to get the dracon out of the controller's hand. After disarming him it would be easier to get him out of comission and then to escape. It took a lot of effort but finally he managed to get the dracon away from the controller somehow. He knew Mark was in good shape and he was big to begin with, but it still seemed like it was harder to do then it should've been.

Though soon he felt a headache. The controller had headbutted him. He felt disoriented now. The controller took advantage of this and rolled him over. Though he noticed his eyes had looked to the side. He guessed that was where the dracon was. Knowing it probably wasn't a good idea, though Mark was agreeing to do it, Acro went for a headbutt of his own. It made him a bit more dizzy, but he needed to escape this controller's grap somehow.

Quinn:
Rolling around the ground atop his foe, Aslin knew that the apprehension of this particular YPM member would look really great on his record, not to mention they could get some valuable information out of him. However, the guy was struggling, putting up a fight, more so to get that Dracon knocked out of his hand. He kept a firm grip, at least for a while, trying to get the advantage back, but eventually he lost that grip, and the gun slid away. His eyes watched it slide before returning them to Acro, the headbutt coming and giving his head a splitting pain. He didn't usually use a move like that, it was low, and it was painful on both ends; it still felt as if his brain was slinging back and forth inside of his skull.

Rolling over, his eyes scanned for the gun amidst the haze that now infiltrated his head, and he looked down at Acro just in time to get a headbutt of his own. Aslin cursed loudly, shifting his weight on the guy as he moved back, one hand clutching his head. If Acro was looking for a time to escape, it was now or never, because rage only seemed to fuel Aslin. Glaring, he half thought about reaching over for the gun and simply ending it, telling someone the body was M.I.A.


Izzi:
Izzi happily took the Dracon beam that Tabre handed her. <<Do you want me to handle this?>> Ouca asked her. Izz couldn't tell if he was worried for her or worried about her inability to do the job. She tried to give him the benifit of the doubt, and decided to keep control anyway. <<I've got it,>> she assured him. They followed Tabre out of the stairwell and onto the 2nd floor where they started clearing rooms. Izzi and Ouca could both hear Tabre's dracon beam firing wildly, as well as the response by the controllers who'd made it in. Anyone could tell that the fight was the worst on this floor. An earsplitting metalic noise alerted Izzi that Tabre had just taken out the control panel, locking the front door, and then taking cover behind an overturned table He was easily taking down any controller that got in his way.

Once the way was more clear, Izzi could see them. Acro and a controller were struggling on the floor. Niether was armed, but a Dracon beam lay nearby that was obviously the object of the stuggle. Izzi glanced across the hall to where she could see Tabre. The firefight has seemed to slow, meaning that the controllers were losing. "I'll help Acro," she yelled to him. "You go back up and double check 3, ok?" She didn't wait for a response before heading forward. No controllers in sight. Either a very GOOD sign, or a very BAD one. Her footsteps were light, not wanting to alert the controller to her approach. Just as she pulled her arm back, preparing to smash him across the head with her weapon, it happened.

One of them Empire's little toys stepped into view at the end of the hall. His dracon beam was raised, aimed, and ready to fire. Izzi's eyes snapped shut, thinking that the shot was inevitable. Her brain was busy hoping it was a stun shot when she heard the gun fire. But she wasn't hit. Her eyes jerked back open to see one of her fellow YPM members fall to the ground. It seemed that they had been in their room, and picked the wrong time to make a run for it. <<Ouca... your turn,>> she said, feeling slightly nauseous. Ouca assured her that the member wasn't dead. Just stunned. Then Ouca was in control. Barely a second had passed since the first shot.

Ouca raised the Dracon beam into firing position, ignoring the headbutting going on between Acro and Aslin. The controller at the end of the hallway re-aimed his gun just a second too late. Ouca had a wide open kill shot, but chose not to take it, just as Izzi knew he would. Instead, the shot took out the controller's left knee, nearly collapsing him. Pained, that controller managed to hobble out of eyesight, most likely into the stairwell. With a quick scan around, Ouca ran to the YPM member, trying to wake them up from the stun. They came too, finally, just as Ouca glanced back at the struggle. <<Shit...>> Izzi thought. Aslin was semi-upright and clutching his head from Acro's headbutt. He could have the dracon beam up in half a second. <<He can handle himself,>> Ouca assured Izzi, helping the YPM member up. "Are you ok?"

Charlie:
Acro's head now hurt like hell. Though he probably wasn't as disoriented as the guy he headbutted. <<Remind me never to let you do that again....>> Mark muttered in thier mind. They were both reeling from the pain. Though he know didn't have the controller fully on him. He pushed the guy off him and kicked the dracon away before running.

He was still a bit woozy as he ran but it was starting to clear up a bit. He wanted to focus more on getting other members out still, but it was starting to get too late. He needed to escape. He couldn't get into another struggle like that again. <<You think we need to pull out now?>> Mark asked. <<yeah, I think we need to. We're going to have to find a new base too.....such a shame...>> Acro replied. They both were quite fond of the building. They didn't want to see it go. But they knew it had to.

Dexter/Tyrar:
Dexter approached the YPM building for the first time in weeks. After Tyrar had discovered they were being tailed he had cut off all contact with the other members to avoid suspicion falling on them as well. Two days ago, the controllers stopped following them and Dexter barely managed to convince Tyrar to go and see the other YPM. Originally, he had planned on waiting at least a week but Dexter was getting sick of missing his friends. As they drew closer their eyes caught flashes of light in the second story windows and then controllers lurking around the outside of the building.

“Oh no,” Dexter whispered before Tyrar took control of his body.

Tyrar fell back before circling around to the back entrance of the building. He forced the door open and jumped back when several YPM ran out. <<This is so not good, >> Dexter thought as they ran in. They stayed close to the wall until breaking for the stairwell. Halfway up Tyrar saw a controller to distracted by pain to notice his approach. Before passing Tyrar landed a punch in one of the host’s kidneys and thought, << I’ll kill him on the way out, right now we need to know what has happened here. >>

At the top of the stairwell Dexter noticed a familiar face down the hall. He stopped Tyrar and called out, “Izzi!”

Hiilani:
Bad timing wasn't the right phrase for what had happened. Simon realized that as he felt the shot hit his body, and even Llewoc couldn't do anything about it. He fell and closed his eyes, stunned since the setting was stunned. He was unsure of what was going to happen after, if he was going to be killed or what. Then he heard another shot.

Was it going to hit him? He braced himself, but no, it didn't hit him. It seemed then he lost consciousness for a moment because the next thing he knew, Izzi was by his side seeing if he was okay. "Grmph, yeah. That was kinda fun, but I would suggest not doin' that anymore. Man, that beam held quite a punch." He stretched his legs slightly after being helped up.

"Thanks for the help, by the way, Ouca. Or is it Izzi right now?" Llewoc sighed. <Simon. Let's just figure out what she'd like us to do now.>

<<Right. Gotcha.>> "So, we're here, reporting for duty. What would you like us to do? We can kick butt, just so you know."

<<Good grief. Simon, you need to calm down. That energy thing does not work for you.>>

Izzi:
Ouca breathed a sigh of relief as Simon and Llewoc stood up. They were fine... babbling a bit, but that was normal. It just meant that Simon was in control of their body right now. Out of their peripherals, Izzi and Ouca could see Acro throw a still disoriented Aslin off and make a break for it. "One sec," he told Simon, handing him the dracon beam before quickly grabbing the one that Acro had kicked away. As soon as the setting was on stun, Ouca took a point blank shot at Aslin, hoping to slow him long enough for the escape. "I trust you know how to use that, Llewoc," Ouca said, hoping that he'd get the hint to take control. Simon with a gun was not a sight that Ouca or Izzi looked forward to.

"Ok," he continued, "The 4th floor is completely clear, and Tabre is on his way back up to double check the 3rd, so all we need to do now is..." Suddenly he lost control of their mouth as Izzi took control. "Dexter!" she exclaimed, turning to greet another YPM member. <<Izzi, please don't do that,>> Ouca chided, reminding her that he never forced control, but she was preoccupied at the moment. "What are you doing here?" she asked him. In all honesty, Ouca was wondering the same thing. Tyrar had gotten himself under heavy suspicion and disappeared, but here he stood, obviously wondering what the hell was going on.


Quinn:
Aslin wasn't very happy at the moment--his head felt like it was split down the middle, it was ringing, and his target was getting away from him. Someone that could surely bring him in a promotion if apprehended was getting the upper hand, and Aslin couldn't prevent it. Not only that, but shifting his weight was a bad idea, for it allowed Acro leverage in order to push him aside, and kick the Dracon gun out of the way. Aslin, after stalking Acro, tackling him, and wrestling around, failed, and he was not pleased at all. He wasn't going down without a fight, and he was walking out of here with at least one person to interrogate.

However, this new goal was hindered when the shot from Izzi's gun caught him in the arm, causing his body to freeze up halfway through getting to his feet. The result was him toppling over, and crashing back onto his head, which was getting the brunt of all the blows in the fight. He had no choice but to wait out the stun, and once he felt movement regaining in his limbs, he pushed himself up weakly, felt for the gun, and aimed it at the people ahead of him. Set on a strong stun still, the shot fired blindly in the direction of Izzi and Dexter, before Aslin rocked backwards, and sat panting on the floor, too weary to move.
Dexter/Tyrar:
Seeing Simon on the ground Dexter frowned and rushed over to help him up. Thankfully the controllers seemed more interested in capture then kill. Tyrar on the other hand seemed to think that was worse. He was already running through what he would do and say if they were taken. To Dex this was not at all a comfort. After Simon seemed stable he turned his attention toward Izzi. She seemed flustered but otherwise okay. Dexter put a hand on her shoulder and smiled quickly.

“I can’t leave you alone for fifteen minutes can I?” He l laughed before looking back over his shoulder, “We lost our tail a couple days ago and wanted to come on over. What happened here?” He paused before quickly adding, “Missed you.”

As Tyrar scanned the room he saw the previously stunned controller begin to move. He took back control and dodged to the side before he fired. With Dexter berating him for not warning the others, he ran toward the controller. Quickly pulling back his fist Tyrar went to land a Haymaker on the man.

<<We do not have time for this! >> He mentally hissed.

Antione:
Tarun 128 stood behind the guy, who was checking the rest of his mates. He followed the man inside, not making a single sound. A smile erupted across the face of John, the host of Tarun. He never allowed John to have control of any part of his body. His dreams were even being controlled. It amused Tarun to always be in control of the situation.

A movement occured in front of Tarun. The man had begun to beat on Aslin's host body. This made Tarun laugh. Big mistake on his part. As fast as possible he took out his Dracon, switched the setting to stun, and reached over to pull the man off of Aslin. John hadn't made a single sound. It is perfect how things work out for you when your host has no will to go on living.

Hiilani
Simon saw Dexter run over to him, and he gave a small smile. "Thanks. I'm fine. Nothing but my dignity hurt." He rubbed off some dirt on his clothes and noticed a rip. "What the hell? He ripped my shirt! And my favorite one at that!" His expression read of anger. Then Izzi handed him a gun and his expression immediately went blank, showing that Llewoc had taken the hint and was in control. "On it." Before he could make two steps, however, someone had grabbed Dexter from behind.

<Is his back to us? Shoot him!> Simon said. Llewoc ignored him, thinking of how to help Dexter. Then he got an idea. He shot at the man's leg, hoping to send him falling. <Or that. Dude, you really need to warn a guy when you're going to shoot.>

Llewoc scowled. <You don't stay quiet for one second, do ya? I AM trying to shoot someone here.> Hopefully he was at an angle that he wouldn't shoot Dexter in the process. He'd rather starve to death than shoot one of his YPM friends.

Dexter/Tyrar:
Tyrar had been so focused on the controller in front of him the rest of reality slipped from his mind. So when someone pulled him upright rather quickly, surprised was putting things mild. Dexter even supplied an appropriate mental, “What the hell” as their back hit something hard. He tried to glance upward when he felt something against his left temple. Only one possible thing came to his mind, a Dracon. In his current position he couldn’t tell what setting it was on. Even if it was on stun, given it’s range, Tyrar wasn’t sure if it matter.

The controller had a firm grip on Dexter’s right bicep and his gun hand was steady. This one had no intention of letting him slip away or missing. Tyrar began to franticly search though Dexter’s mind for anything of use. Several moves came to mind, but none of them were useful when it came to a Dracon pointed at his head. He chastised himself for not preparing for possibility as he continued searching. Dexter apparently had been looking as well.

<<Uh, there’s this one thing I remember from Krav Maga, >> He offered, <<But that was a few years ago. Like three or four. Not sure about the technicals. >>

<< It’s that or being shot in the head. >> Tyrar thought as he reached for the memory.

<<Which would you prefer? >>

<<Not shot, but what about everyone else? >>

He looked back into the hall at the other YPM. Anything he did could conflict with whatever they were planning. If he was shot, and not killed, they would have to save him. On the other hand if he got free they were still at risk. Tyrar glanced at the weapon out of the corner of his eye and allowed for the gravity of the situation to sink in. Dexter looked at Izzi silently asking what he should do, Tyrar looked at her waiting for orders.

Antione:
Tarun felt the shot in his leg. He fell sideways, but luckily him grabbing on to the man was enough to save him from falling completly. He looked at his attacker and laughed. He laughed at the sudden attack, and at the fact that they thought he cared what happened to the host. He only cared about pain. Giving out pain, and receiving it to see how much he could handle. Tarun looked around the room, the smile still etched on his face.

"Don't do that again.It is annoying getting shot at. But if you are going to shoot again, shoot me in the arm. That way I'll let go of the scum bag I'm holding on to. Better yet, shoot me in the head. I might die that way." Tarun began to laugh. He loved to give people advice on how to kill. It brought out the worst in them, and that made him a winner, even if he does die. Slowly his gun was lowered to the man's chest.

<<Don't do it!>> John had spoken for the first time in three weeks.

<<Look here. You are alive. I'm a bit disappointed actually.>> Tarun said to John.

"My host here doesn't want me to shoot any of you. I think he has a great point. I won't shoot this scum bag if you do exactly what I tell you to. Help Aslin up and send him over here. Poor man doesn't deserve this. Hell he's tired. Let him rest a little." Tarun asked with his deranged smile. He was one guy, and he needed all the help he can get to mess with all the YPMs.

Izzi:
Izzi had been just about to fill Dexter in when his words sent her into a fluster. "Missed you." She replayed it in her head a time or two as she tried to regain some semblance on coherent thought. As her head floated off, distracted too much for the current situation, Aslin got a shot off that barely missed her left arm. Within seconds, Dexter was on top of him, pounding his face in. It was one of the few things that Izzi didn't like about Dexter and Tyrar. One of them had a violent side, and sometimes it was hard to tell the just which one that was.

Then, in a flash, another controller appeared out of the woodworks, holding Dex at gunpoint. Izzi looked back and forth between the three conscious people in the hall, trying to formulate some plan that might work. Llewoc took a shot, hitting the attacker in the leg, but he barely faltered under the pain. The attacker was rambling off orders, threatening to shoot Dexter in the head if someone didn't help Acro's assailant off the floor. It wasn't until Izzi's eyes met Dexter that she had an idea. His eyes seemed to be waiting for some signal from hers.

<<Ouca, I need a little help out here,>> she told him, relinquishing control. He was the only decent shot sharing the body at the time. "Ok," Ouca told the controller, starting forward. Slowly and carefully, Ouca inched toward Aslin, trying to hold the Dracon beam in his hand as non-threateningly as possible. Once he was close enough, Ouca slowly started helping the controller to his feet, a daunting task as both the host and the yeerk seemed to be unconscious and he only had the strength of an athletic 17 year old girl.

Keeping a strong grip in Aslin's arm and the Dracon slightly hidden behind Aslin's back, Ouca led him over to where the controller had Dexter at gunpoint. <<One chance,>> Izzi told him. <<Hope you aim is pretty damn good.>> Without warning, Ouca's gun was level with the controller's head, prepared to duck behind Aslin should Tarun's gun change target. "You have one chance to put down the gun," Ouca said calmly, taking his normal route of pacifist-unless-pushed. "Trust me," Ouca told him, "I'll have both you and your buddy on the ground before you can get a shot off."


Dexter/Tyrar:
When Llewoc shot the controller Tyrar attempted to move but the man’s grip on his shoulder tightened and soon he was standing again. A growl resonated deep in their chest at the lost opportunity, mostly from Tyrar though. He did not like being a bargaining chip. Worse yet the controller was starting to rant, and though he didn’t sound mentally stable he wasn’t waving the gun around, away from their head, either. <<We get the crazy focused psycho, >> Dexter thought dryly, <<Figures. >>

Tyrar was going to tell his host to be quiet when the pressure against the side of their head went away. He was considering trying to get away again when the pressure reappeared this time on this chest. The escape plan went up in smoke and they felt even more trapped and helpless as the larger man now encircled them. Dexter also was getting tired of being called a “scum bag”. Taking a break from self pity Tyrar looked down at the weapon, being careful to only move his eyes. It was set to stun, a silver lining after all.

Looking back up they met Izzi and Ouca’s eye. Dexter could see the gears turning in their head. Carefully he tried to mouth, “Stun”. Tyrar on the other hand was tensing up the left side of their body in case the controller did fire. They watched as Izzi walked over to the dazed controller and helped him up. When she walked the man forward and stopped they searched her face for any signal. Then there was a gun pointed at someone’s head and for the first time that day, it wasn’t Dexter’s.

He couldn’t help but smile as Ouca threatened Tarun. The YPM had a human shaped shield and a plan, already more than what he and Tyrar had. <<That’s my girl, >> he thought, <<Now hopefully we can get out of this alive. >>

[dexter]

Quinn:
In a matter of minutes, the situation took an interesting turn. It went from an invasion of the YPM headquarters, to a hostage situation. At first, Aslin took the brunt of the blows from Tyrar, knocked over from his attempt to stand and move towards Ouca. He was able to move his arms upto block his face towards the tail end of the barrage, and that was when Tyrar was lifted off of him. Holding his arms over his face for a few moments longer, Aslin finally looked up to see that Tyrar was being held at gunpoint by Tarun.

Tarun was on a power trip, and Aslin was beginning to grow tired of his tough charade. Tarun thought that he would win, that he was in control of everything, when in essecne he wasn't making things any easier. Still, the guy had saved his life, and for that he would give him only a few minutes to try and act like he was in power, before Aslin would take over again. He sat on the ground, careful not to make any sudden movements, since the room was full of people holding Dracon guns, and some were bound to be switched from stun to kill. Not even kill, but disintegrate.

Soon he was being helped up by Ouca, who was armed with a gun. The moment he was up, he was flipped around, and the gun was pressed first to his back, then to his head while Ouca utilized the advantage of the size of his host, hiding behind Aslin. He frowned, listening to the threats flying back and forth. Finally, after a period of silence, Aslin spoke up. "Honestly, Tarun, just shut the hell up. If Ouca here thinks that the guts are there to kill me," He said, then turned his head so he could glance at his captor, "then shoot. The Empire already knows where the base is, it wouldn't be much harder to get your name broadcasted. Everyone would know who to look for. So shoot, take me out. You'd better aim for me, the Yeerk, that or disintegrate me."

Antione:
Tarun frowned at Aslin for telling him to shut up. He was hoping for some thanks, not to be told to keep his mouth shut. He was about to point his Dracon away from Dexter and point it at Aslin when Ouca turned the tables around. Ouca held the Dracon at Aslin's head, and threatened to shoot him. Aslin did not seem to mind, as he told Ouca to shoot him.

"Finally some fun. Did you really think threatening me would work? You can shoot him for all I care, but I don't think you will." Tarun then began to tap on Dexter's head with the Dracon. "The scum bag here is you friend, right? Do you really want him to die? If you don't, then stop pretending your in charge at this point. I don't care if Aslin dies, he'll just be a nuisence towards me." During this rant, Tarun was lazily waving the gun around, too hyped up to notice that he wasn't pressing it against Dexter's chest.

Dexter/Tyrar:
The smile Dexter had faded when Aslin open his mouth. He had assumed that the controller had been knocked unconscious. The phrase his mother used obsessively came to mind. Assuming may have made an “ass” out of him but he couldn’t hate himself for hoping. It was nice to hear the controller tell Tarun to close his trap, what he said after that however wasn’t so nice. Aslin was taunting Ouca, trying to get the YPM to kill him. Dexter couldn’t tell if it was controller arrogance or trauma induced stupidity. How Aslin was talking to Ouca directly did send a wave of uneasiness through him. It’s hard to get someone with a death wish to do what you want them to.

Before he could fully grasp what Aslin had said, Tarun was speaking. Dexter clenched his jaw when he called him a scum bag again and tapped the side of his head with the weapon. The ranting didn’t help either. <<Hubris, >> he thought dryly as Tarun began to rant, again. Any other time Tyrar would have been wonder how Dexter knew what hubris was, at the moment he concerned with were the gun was pointed. Tarun had begun to gesticulate with the weapon and Tyrar turned their head slightly.

Tyrar listened to where the voice of his capture was coming from. From where he was standing Izzi and Ouca has made their move and now he had a window. Besides he was tired of being bait. Tarun had just called Aslin a nuisance when Tyrar determined the pattern his head was moving in.

Once Tyrar was sure where Tarun’s head was he did take any chances. He leaned forward and swung his head back into the controller’s face with as much force behind it as possible, hopefully breaking the man’s nose. Using the same momentum he twisted Dexter’s arm out of Tarun's grip and landed on his lower back and hands. From his position on the floor Tyrar kicked the knee cap of the leg Llewoc hadn’t shot.

Izzi:
Izzi and Ouca listened calmly as both Aslin and Tarun had their rants. Ouca held his aim firm as they went on and on. <<Way to challenge the two most unstable controllers in the city,>> Izzi chided. <<One with a deathwish and one that waves a dracon around like a toy.>> Ouca quickly asked her to shut up. He was trying to get a lock on Tarun, but Izzi's remarks mized with his wild flailing made that ten times harder. Luckily, they didn't have to worry too long. Dexter noticed an opening and he took it, easily knocking the controller on his ass. <<Thats my...>> Ouca cut Izzi off, not wanting to hear her right now.

With his dracon beam still on a high stun, Ouca took the first open shot on Tarun, then another on Aslin, knocking them both unconsious. "Tyrar," he said, wanting his attention. "Grab his gun." Ouca scanned the hallway, looking at the distruction that they had brought upon their home. He looked at the two men. When they are like this, it was hard to tell the difference between them and the men on their side. "Kill them if you must," Ouca told Tyrar and Llewoc, "But we have to get out of here." Ouca let Izzi take controll of the body, niether of them wanting to wait and see what the other two YPM members would do.

Dexter/Tyrar:
Tyrar stood up as Ouca shot Tarun. He doubted that the YPM killed the controllers, it wasn’t the way Ouca handled things. When he was instructed to retrieve the weapon Tyrar nodded and did as he was told. He checked the gun to see if it had been damaged in the fall. From what he observed, it was not. He focused on Ouca when he spoke again. Tyrar nodded again and said, “Understood” before switching the dracon to its highest setting. It had not been an order but he agreed with the suggestion.

Not bothering to see how Llewoc reacted Tyrar walked up to Tarun’s unconscious form. He checked the dracon one more time before firing into the man’s skull. It was not out of spite or for enjoyment, simply business. If Tarun had been allowed to live he mostly would have told the Empire about what he had seen and able to identify YPM members. As for destroying his face, it delayed immediate recognition. Not wanting to risk Dexter’s horrible aim Tyrar moved closer to Aslin before repeating the action.

Once the two controllers were dead he switched the weapon back to high stun. Now that the stationary targets were eliminated he didn’t want to risk accidentally harming an ally. Finally he turned in the direction Izzi had gone in and released control over to Dexter. Dexter whipped the dust off his back from the floor and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before going after Izzi and Ouca.

<<I hate it when you do that, >> he thought. Tyrar mentally shrugged but made no further comment.

Izzi:
As Izzi walked away from the scene, she couldn't help but pause in the hallway, waiting for the other two to catch up. She flinched visibly when she heard the two shots. Both she and Ouca knew exactly what they meant, but she thanked god that she was alone in the stairwell. Ouca is a leader, she kept reminding herself. My weaknesses look bad on him. She hadn't meant for him to hear what she was thinking, but he did. <<The things you view as weaknesses are NOT weaknesses, Izzi. They are the things that make you human. When you lose them, you become another controller, like those two. Their humanity was stolen from them, and I will not let you give yours up, got it?>> Ouca's tone was fatherly, perhaps the kindest words Izzi had ever recieved from him.

<<Got it...>> she replied calmly just before the door opened behind her. Quickly, she plastered a smile on her face before looking back. "It's good to see you again, Dexter," she told him, hoping that Tyrar would give him control, if he hadn't already. "Its just too bad it has to be like this," she told him. Her feet didn't not start down the stairs until he was right beside her, wanting to stay close to him. The weeks he had been gone had driven both her and Ouca nuts, mostly because Izzi had driven Ouca crazy with her constant worry. But now he was here, if only for a moment.

"Tabre destroyed the control panel on the front door, so it locked down. Everybody will be rushing for the back door." Izzi was trying to fill him in as quickly as possible. In the back of her mind, there was a glimmering thought. Something she wanted to tell him. <<Izzi, now isn't the time,>> Ouca told her sternly. <<Then when is the time?>> Izzi asked. <<Do you think I haven't seen what you're going to do? Do you think I don't know that he can't stay here? When is the time, Ouca? Just before you send him away? When he comes back, wondering what happened to us? Never?>>

Ouca didn't not respond, as Izzi had hoped he wouldn't. She would do as he wished and keep her mouth shut... for now. But no part of her was willing to let Dexter be sent away without knowing what was about to happen. This raid had forced Ouca's hand. Nothing would change his mind now. In three days, Izzi would be a free human, whether she liked it or not. In three days, she would be sent to join the Boston animorphs. In three days, everything she knew would disappear...

Charlie:
Acro and Mark were finally out of the building. They had tried to look around for more YPM members and make sure they had escaped the building, but they just had to give in and escape the building themselves. They both were tired, but they could still run if they needed to. As he walked out he noticed Izzi and Ouca.

"Good....they didn't get a hold of you," he managed to say as he walked over. He looked back at the former YPM base. "Such a shame.....it was a nice building....." he said as he looked at it. "How many people do you think they got? I didn't see many others on my way out."

Dexter/Tyrar:
When he saw Izzi waiting behind the door it raised Dexter’s spirits a little. Sure Tyrar had just killed two men, their head quarters were being stormed and general chaos was going on but Dexter was easily distracted. She had a smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes when she greeted him and he smiled back weakly. “Good to see you too, even with the…ya know, general badness,” he said and cleared his throat on he realized dorky that sounded. He walked close behind her, keeping an eye on the back of her head as she walked down the stairs. Tyrar noticed that the controller from earlier was no longer in the stairwell there, but decided not to try and look for him. All he could do was hope that the injured man either didn’t see him or was too injured to remember him.

“We observed several YPM exiting upon our arrival,” Tyrar replied when she spoke about the doors. Dexter added, “That’s how we got in.” She looked like she wanted to say something else but Dex kept his mouth shut. If Izzi was going to tell him something she would in her time. Or at least that’s what he hoped.

<<You’re getting better at that, >> Tyrar thought.

He looked up and to the left, <<At what? >>

<<Restraint. >>

Dexter let out a small snort and rolled his eyes quickly. He followed Izzi toward the backdoor. Before exiting Tyrar looked over his shoulder to make sure they were not being followed. In the alley he clenched the dracon tighter when he saw someone but quickly relaxed when he recognized Acro. He gave a curt nod and Dexter waved with their empty hand.

Acro seemed to be talking to Izzi and Ouca but he tried to answer his question anyway.

“Not a clue,” Dexter glanced back at the building again, “we came to the party late. What’re we gonna do now?”

Izzi:
Izzi's head dropped a bit, her hair falling forward to hide a blush when Dexter spoke. Her ears listened attentively as he explained the scene of his arrival. "That's good," she told him. "At least we know that there are people who got away..." As they exited the back door, the alley was almost clear. It seemed that those who had made their escape were long gone. She let out a sigh of relief when Acro appeared, looking slightly worn out from the fight and the running. Dexter responded to his question first, and then Izzi spoke up. "The third and fourth floor were completely cleared, except Tabre, who is checking for stragglers. I think everyone got out of the second floor, but it was a massacre up there... I could hardly..." Her words caught in her throat for a moment as she was unsure of whether to vocalize them. She finished, "...hardly tell the difference between us and them."

She tried to ignore Dexter's question, but Ouca would not. Now was the best time to discuss their plan of action. The alley was empty, Acro was here. For a moment, Izzi tried to shake Ouca's thoughts from her head. <<Izzi, please,>> he pleaded. Unhappily, she handed him control. "There is another building," Ouca told them both. "Its on the other side of town. A little more run down than this place, but it'll be much easier to control security there." He turned Izzi's eyes to Acro, completely ignoring Dexter for a moment. "Acro, this has forced my hand. I will be going ahead with my plans, and, in three days, this will all be over with." He didn't look back at Dexter, knowing that, if Izzi should see the look he was most likely wearing, it would make things even harder.


Dexter/Tyrar
It was good to hear that the floors were clear. The more people that got out the better. Dex did feel uncomfortable though when Izzi said she couldn’t tell the difference between controllers and YPM. Tyrar could view the situation more objectively. Dexter felt guilty about not being affected as strongly by the events as Izzi had.

Tyrar, however, was irritated by the fact he had not know about the second building. He may have not been important enough to be privy to the information but it still upset him that he was unaware of its existence. It had always been his business to know things, even what was supposed to be secret. Since nothing could done about the past, he allowed his annoyance to slide and look at the more positive elements of what Izzi was saying. Such as improved security. Then there was the mention of plans, which again Tyrar knew nothing of. He straightened his back and tried to listen in more closely.

<<Three days? What the heck is so important about three days?>> Dexter thought loudly before it dawned on him, <<Oh my god, three days…>>

“Ouca you-“ Tyrar cut him off before Dex said something he would regret.

He looked off into the sky, willing their heart rate back down. Once his body was calm Tyrar tried to figure out what he was going to say to Ouca. Unless he was horribly mistaken, the YPM was going to willingly starve himself. True, he may not have been considered the most caring member of the YPM but he did not want to stand by as a fellow member committed an act of martyrdom.

“Ouca,” he said calmly, “my host does not like the plan you are insinuating and I am incline to agree with him. The individuals I hold in the upmost respect are upon a relatively exclusive list. I do not wish for you to create a vacancy.”

<<Thanks…>>

<< I thought it was much better than simply calling Ouca a mûrkha. >>

Izzi:
Ouca had expected this kind of reaction from Dexter, but not from Tyrar. Then again, he hadn't given much explination. Only Acro knew exactly why Ouca had to do what he was about to do. In a calm, even tone, he tried to explain. "Tyrar," he began, "You do not understand. Izzi and I were compromised this morning, and not just on a small scale. Her father, Nibor 239, discovered us during the debriefing of Remba 482. Izzi and I made a grave error which resulted in the massacre you just witnessed. By now, Izzi's face and my designation are all over the empire. There is nowhere we can go... nowhere we can hide. Not from this... not this time."

"So," Ouca continued, with a stern glance back at Mark's body, "Acro is to contact the Boston animorphs and request that a place be prepared for Izzi where she can continue to fight. It is the only place..." He paused for a second, trying to fight the lump in Izzi's throat. "It is the only place she is safe." Inside Izzi's head, he could hear her sadness. She didn't like this plan... not even a little... not even at all. Ouca retreated, allowing her to come forward. Her sadness came forward into tears on her usually stoic face. Today had been a whirlwind of emotions that she wasn't use to anymore.

Slowly, Izzi lifted her head up to look Dexter in the eyes. There was a naive hope somewhere in there she would find an answer, but all she found was more pain. For as long as she'd known Dexter, she'd felt something for him, something indescribable, but for as long as she'd know Tyrar, he'd been Ouca's subordinate. Inappropriate didn't even begin to describe the feelings she wanted to express. Now, she realized, might be her last chance to tell him... to let him know what he meant...

But Izzi couldn't do it, couldn't bring herself to even try to give him a reason to want to stay. "Ouca's right," Izzi choked out, her tone not even convincing herself. Immediately, her eyes diverted. "This is the only way. You can't stay here either. You have to go... anywhere. Acro and I will get in touch with some of the other YPM groups, let them know so that you have somewhere to go... but you... you have to leave... You can't stay here." As much as it hurt, and as much as she didn't want to believe it, Izzi knew that this was the best possible route.

Dexter/Tyrar:
Of course there was a reason, there was always a reason. Tyrar had just wished it was not as serious as the case Ouca presented. Still he was a tad offended when Ouca said there was nowhere to hide. Until recently all Tyrar had done was hide and act on his own. He had given up his anonymity to join the YPM. As far as Tyrar was concerned there was always a way to hide if one was willing to forfeit some luxuries and a few necessities. However, Ouca was not him and Izzi was not Dexter. Ouca would not dare put his host through half of what Tyrar had.

Ouca was thinking of Izzi first. He tended to forget about those around him, a habit he had yet to fix. They had heard of the animorphs, in passing and more increasingly after joining with Boston. If Ouca believed the girl would be safe there it could only be true.

She looked up at them with tears in her eyes. Tyrar immediately retreated, feeling like a coward. Dexter was the one that connected with people, he just dealt with them. Hopefully his host would not feel that he was abandoning him.

Dexter’s chest tightened as Izzi spoke. She looked away and told him he leave. Sure her and Acro where going to send out the word about them but he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave her alone. Without thinking he reached up to wipe away from her eyes. After his thumb brushed her cheek he pulled back quickly and looked away. It was stupid, possibly wrong and he felt like an idiot. He tried to put his hands in his pockets but only his left hand made it in. His right kept missing and he didn’t think to stop trying.

“Do I have to go,” he asked half mumbling, “I mean, like right now?” Dexter glanced back over at Izzi to see how much trouble he managed to get himself into.

Izzi:
Izzi's heart nearly burst in her chest when she felt Dexter's hand lightly brush away the tears on her cheek. Subcontiously, her head pressed closer to his hand, wanting to prolong the contact. Her eyes, however, instinctivly clamped shut as soon as he broke the contact, not wanting them to betray the thoughts, the feelings that she was fighting to hide. Then his voice... god... she could feel her poor heart breaking. "Do I have to go? I mean, like right now?"

<<Not right now...>> Ouca told Izzi, urging her to answer Dexter. Part of her wanted to tell him to get out of here... To just leave so that she could break apart so that she could put herself back together and go on like she always did. But the rational part of her knew that she didn't want him to go, and Ouca's statement ok'd him staying for just a bit... So quickly, she tried to stifle her sobs so that she could speak in clear, coherant sentences. Her eyes opened slowly, still avoiding his gaze. "I... I guess not... After all, you need time to get ready. You... you can't just pick up and dissappear on a moments notice, I mean, that just doesn't make any sense..."

Dexter/Tyrar:
Tyrar raised an eyebrow, <<Why must she continually underestimate my abilities? >> He had been prepared to leave town as soon as he discovered yeerk suspicion. The plan had even been in existence before then as a precaution. Perhaps it was having been taken hostage cast a negative light on him.

<<Shut it slug, I busy thanking God for small miracles, >> Dexter thought before lowering their eyebrow. He ran his right hand through his hair. Now that he wasn’t having to run off he had no clue what he was doing. Good news was that since Tyrar did have a plan he could spend more time with Izzi hopefully. The paranoid alien did come with his advantages, occasionally made it worth all the headaches.

“So,” he looked back at the YPM building, “I guess we’re following your lead then.”

Izzi:
Izzi bit her lip nervously as her eyes turned hesitantly to meet his. "I guess all there is left to do is to head toward the new building and start getting everything and everyone situated..." She glanced back at the building, solemn about having lost two homes in one day.... Even moving to the new building she couldn't get comfortable, because in three days, she'd be thrust out of it too...

"Ready?" she asked softly, heading toward the end of the alley and looking out. Luckily the commotion seemed to have settled and no one was there. "All clear," she whispered back before stepping lightly into the street and making her way toward the building. <<Izzi...>> Ouca tried to say, but she could see in his thoughts everything he wanted to say. However, right now, she really didn't care. She was just hoping that she could listen to a silent mind for a couple seconds.