Post by Aubrey on Aug 6, 2009 3:40:28 GMT -5
Luce:
Zach took out thirty dollars and handed them to Ralkiz 147. The currency was pretty much worthless at this point. The Council had figured out that controlling a large empire would require creating an economy but they were trying to build their own from scratch instead of inheriting the one the humans had left behind. They were having limited success so far.
So while a dollar couldn't buy you much these days it could still by you more than an Empiric Krugan since that was the fifth currency the Council had tried to begin putting into circulation in the past two years. The thirty dollars had just bought Kiejen another three days of life from the portable kadrona pool Ralkiz maintained, here in the boondocks of New Orleans. The business was highly illegal of course but fairly profitable since it catered to the ever growing number of yeerks who, for whatever reason, didn't feel safe going to the official pool.
Like Kiejen and Zach, many of them were political outcasts, yeerks that had made a powerful enemy in the empire and had a choice between waiting for the assassin or choosing a life in hiding. Kiejen was no fool and Zach was not suicidal. They had decided to run.
"You gonna be back or are you thinking of moving again?" Ralkiz asked as Zach stepped into the humid, swampy air of southern Louisiana. Zach listened to an owl's hunting call somewhere off in the night and slapped at a mosquito as he considered the question.
"I think I'll be sticking around for a while despite the dreadful atmosphere down here," Zach replied as he used his sleeve to wipe his for head. He still couldn't get used to this weather. He didn't mind the heat, years of living in Vegas had made him almost immune to it. It was the wet. He felt like the air was so heavy he wouldn't be able to breath.
"Then I'll see you in three days. Don't be late," Ralkiz said as he turned around and reentered his little shack that squatted upon stilts above the swamp like some wooden toad. Zach was left to climb down to the water level and reenter the boat he had taken to get out here. He stumbled a bit as he entered the small row boat and it almost turned over. He cursed slightly and fumbled to grab the sides and steady himself. After a moment the boat had stopped rocking and Zach sat down and grabbed the handles of the oars after he had unhitched it from the dock. He turned on the forward facing flashlight and began making his way out of the swamp, carefully navigating around the large trees that grew right out of the water.
"Feel better?" Zach asked conversationally and was only greeted by silence. "Don't feel like talking?" he asked. "It isn't that." The voice was exactly the same as the one that had asked the question, as it should be since it was being created by the same vocal cords. But it was obvious someone else was speaking now. Before the yeerks had landed the locals of New Orleans may have suspected that Zach had been possessed by some sort of demon or put under some sort of curse. Or maybe he was just insane and needed to be committed. But now anyone would recognize a yeerk and a host when they saw one.
"I'm wondering why he asked about my next feeding," Kiejen said, using Zach's voice as easily as if it were his own. After all these years he considered it his own and since Kiejen had withdrawn into himself and left Zach mostly in control of his body most of the time, Zach had found he wasn't too opposed to sharing.
"Making sure he had another customer?" Zach suggested as his upper back muscles pulled against the weight of the boat and the person in it. Sweat was breaking out on his forehead and the back of his neck again, attracting what seemed like the entire mosquito and fly population of Louisiana.
<<Perhaps,>> Kiejen responded, switching to just communicating mind to mind. <<But he has never asked us before. Maybe we should consider moving on.>> Zach just grunted as he concentrated on rowing the boat but Kiejen watched as Zach's mind replayed the scene with Ralkiz in his head and came to the same conclusion that Kiejen had. Kiejen knew his answer before he bothered to say it but he kept that fact to himself. It was important to maintain some illusion of privacy after all.
"Yeah. Let's move."
Aorle 150 slowly moved her hand to the right and the holographic image sped up, fast forwarding through events and scenes she was too familiar with after all these months of watching this footage. She paused and the hologram froze on a grainy image of a young woman, young by human standards anyway. Maybe in her teens or a little older. Asian heritage, so her host's mind told her, not that the little fact told her much about who she was looking at. The girl could be from China or Korea or Japan but somehow Aorle doubted it. The country this land used to belong too had been fairly diverse. It was just as likely that she was just one more American.
But her heritage didn't matter much to Aorle. What mattered was that her features were familiar. In fact, this one face had to be one of the most famous ones in the empire right now. The dead animorph who had become a bit of a legend in the past few weeks. Some thought that the animorphs had released the virus on purpose in an attempt to kill the yeerks and the humans both. "Give me liberty or give me death!" Wasn't that a famous saying of the humans? Their history was certainly full of instances of suicidal madness. It wasn't too far off the mark to think that the humans had released the virus on purpose.
But Aorle didn't think that was true, or if it was, it had been the decision of a few insane humans as opposed to the whole animorph operation. She had been investigating these rebels for years now and the scenes of mass death and destruction just did not fit their style.
Still, it was a popular theory, and as such, the animorphs were a popular subject and this girl had become the face of the animorphs. To some, she was a terrorist. To others she was a martyr, and example of why yeerks and humans needed to find a way to live together. Sentimental, weak souled, lies and half wishes that Aorle didn't pay serious heed to, no one of any real power did. Yeerks and humans could not live together. This girl was not a martyr to some peaceful cause, nor was she a wanton terrorist and mass murderer. Well she was, but to Aorle, what was more important was that she was a link. Because the footage she was looking at was not the hour or so of images that the YPM had managed to sneak out of Dallas in the final hours. The holo she was looking at had come from a security camera that had survived the destruction dealt out at the Hoover Dam.
Aorle looked down to see the results of the facial recognition program she had run on both images, not surprised at all to see that it was showing her she had a match. She waved both holograms away and the images quickly dissolved and faded. Another piece in the puzzle.
She turned and regarded the young man chained to a small platform in the middle of a medium sized kadrona pool. He looked haggard and half mad, his clothing ripped and dirty, his wrists red from where he had strained and struggled against the bonds that held him. He was screaming but Aorle couldn't hear any sound through the small force field that kept the starving yeerk in his head from getting to the nutrition it needed.
Aorle walked over to another console and keyed in combination to thin the forcefield enough to let sound through. As the program went into effect and the force field thinned the sounds of screams slowly grew, almost as if someone was turning up the volume on a tv.
"Please! Please, I've told you everything I know. That's all I know! Just let me go! Let him go! Get him out of me!" The author of the words switched between the yeerk and the host as both shook violently in pain. Aorle watched him, her lips slightly pursed and one eyebrow raised in disapproval of his over dramatic behavior.
"Yes, I know you did." She pushed a button and his bonds were released as the last of the forcefield faded away. He fell forward, no longer being held up by his restraints and almost immediately the tip of a yeerk appeared in the ear canal closest to the pool. Kiejen 435 abandoned his host and slipped into the sludgy waters of the yeerk pool. His host, Zachery McLachlan, 32, former real estate agent and son of Trish and Michael McLachlan of Arizona, slowly sat up, looking almost as if he had been the one on the brink of starvation.
Many yeerks saw no reason to bother with knowing their host or the hosts of their fellow yeerks at all. They saw the humans as chattel. But Aorle found it useful to understand her rival's hosts. She never forgot that she was talking to two minds when she talked to a controller, and so their were two people she had to manipulate, two separate motivations she had to keep in mind. Information on the host had never failed to be useful before.
"When Kiejen is done I want you both to clean up. You work for me now." She informed him in a no nonsense tone. "If you threaten to betray my secrets as you threatened to betray Sedra's you will not get a chance to run or hide. Kiejen will starve and, after he is dead, you will be fed to the Taxxons alive. Am I understood?" Zach nodded weakly, still too shaky to risk anything more physically demanding. His eyes briefly flickered up to look at Aorle but looked away in fear. She wasn't lying to him and he knew it. "Good. We leave for Vegas in the morning."
"Vegas?" he asked weakly, his voice cracking because his throat was so dry. She saw him lick chapped lips that had cracked and started to bleed. He looked like he was contemplating trying to drink the yeerk pool and Aorle took some pity on him.
"Yes. Vegas. There is water over there," she said, pointing towards a cabinet under the holo console she had been working from. She turned away as he began to struggle towards the cabinet and walked back to her personal quarters to take a shower. As an Inspector of the Council, Aorle was given fairly large ship. It wasn't big enough that it needed a large crew, just a pilot and maybe a few others to serve her as she saw fit. But the ship was large enough that she could live on it for months comfortably. It needed to be since she traveled all over the empire in her line of work.
As she keyed her personal identification code into the panel by the door that led to her cabin she felt her host stir slightly. Celeste was defeated and broken and Aorle preferred it that way. More than many others she knew how many problems a rebellious host could cause. Still, at the mention of Vegas, she felt the smallest flame of hope light in Celeste's mind. Celeste did not hope to be free, that was too much. But she was hoping to see her daughter. Just to see. At the same time she didn't want Aorle to get any where close to the child.
"Oh, you'll see your daughter," Aorle promised as she entered her room and headed for the human bathrooms on the other side. "I'm sure she will show up when Sedra is arrested." Aorle felt a wave of almost overwhelming despair and fear come at her from Celeste's mind. She laughed.
Celeste Tragar, 48, former interpreter for an international bank. Known family; husband John Tragar, daughters, Luce and Nicole Tragar. All four formerly of South Hampton, Long Island USA. Formerly of Palmerston North, New Zealand. Formerly of Bristol, England. Formerly of, well the woman had travelled a lot, Aorle didn't really bother to keep track past England where the New Zealand native had met her American husband-to-be while both were studying at Oxford. John was now the host of a yeerk that had no hope of ever rising above the rank of Bladeship pilot, which was his current job. Nicole, on the other hand, was the host of a yeerk who was already a Sub-Visser somewhere in Europe and would require some checking up on. And Luce, Luce was the reason Aorle had Celeste as a host in the first place.
She wasn't the only one who believed in knowing and controlling a host through their pasts. Kas 690, arguably Aorle's most dangerous opponent and challenger to the Council seat she had her eye on, had as well. So when one of his most valued operatives, Jals 732, had acquired a new host Kas had made sure that Luce's family was given to low level and, so far, unambitious yeerks. But Aorle had been more ambitious than she'd yet shown and smarter than any of her superiors had understood. She had slowly and quietly worked her way up the ranks and collected the network or those who owed her favors, those who feared her, those who liked her and those who hated her that turned into power when used correctly. And she had been quiet enough about it that, by the time Kas had realized what was happening, it was already too late to try to replace Aorle with a more controllable yeerk.
As Aorle had made herself a serious rival to Kas' dreams of a Council seat and power a hatred had developed between the two that was almost legendary to those who were privileged enough to be in the political circles that Aorle and Kas had turned into their private arenas. Aorle kept careful track of all of Kas' activities and known associates, looking for a way to discredit him, and she was sure he did the same. Except now Aorle thought she had the hammer that she could use to pound the last nail into the coffin of Kas' career and political hopes.
A couple of months ago one of their many Human Child Reeducation and Indoctrination Facilities had been broken into and the children set free. It was pretty clear that it had been the animorphs who had done it, they hadn't tried to hide their involvement. She had multiple records of a jaguar running around the facility attacking guards. A crocodile making its way into the camp via a river, something no one had thought to guard against despite the fact their enemy could morph into any living creature (Aorle took a moment to scoff at their stupidity). No, it hadn't been hard to pin the break out on the animorphs. In fact, the evidence was so solid that the case had never even come across Aorle's desk. At least not by official channels.
However, that particular institution had housed a particular child that Aorle had marked in the files and had received regular reports on and so her abduction had raised a red flag in Aorle's personal system. Eva Michel, 4 years old. Daughter of Mark and Catherine Michel, controlled by Sefran 324 and Sedra 149. Sefran was now, and had been for quite some time, Host Conditioner and Rehabilitator. A fancy title that meant he worked in the holding facility in Phoenix, Arizona. He was not likely to ever rise above his current rank.
Sedra, however, was quite a talented young scientist and showed all the traits required to advance within the empire; ambition, ruthlessness and intelligence. It was really too bad that she had gotten involved with Jals. Aorle couldn't prove that of course, if she could she may have been able to use it against Kas before. But what would not stand up in court and what she could reasonably suspect to be the truth were two different things. As far as Aorle could tell Sedra had been involved with Jals both before and after the yeerk had acquired her host's daughter as a host. Aorle had become aware of this after Kas had signed the order to have Eva and Andrew Michals put into the Indonesian facility. Child placement was far below Kas' notice and Aorle had taken the time to investigate his interest in these particular children.
Kas was careful, as always. There had not been enough evidence to convict Jals of anything let alone Kas but Aorle had just added the information to her files and waited for it to pay off. Now it looked like it had. Eva had disappeared, along with about 40 other children. A small loss. But Sedra had been present at the scene. She hadn't even bothered to hide the fact that she was visiting that particular facility. And why should she, she had done nothing wrong and no one knew that the girl was her daughter. But Aorle found it highly unlikely that Sedra had just happened to visit the facility where the girl was being held. Even if she was in charge of the project commonly known as birth mothers and could claim she was doing research on human development.
And yet Sedra had not been the one to break Eva out. The animorphs had. Was it enough to prove that Sedra had collaborated with enemies of the empire? No. Was it enough to suspect her of doing so. Certainly. And so Sedra 149 had come back to Aorle's attention after years of dismissal. And once Aorle had started to investigate her she had found that the sub-visser may have been up to many interesting things.
She seemed to keep showing up where ever the animorphs struck. First the Hoover Dam, then the Indonesian facility. Coincidence? Perhaps. Aorle had hoped not and now she finally had the proof she needed. She had records of Sedra on the scene at Hoover Dam. Records that put her in the same room as both Luce, a human Aorle knew to be an animorph, and this asian legend, who the whole empire knew to be an animorph. An animorph that had just been a major piece of the demise of Dallas. And to top it all off Aorle had Kiejen. Kiejen 435, who would testify that, not only did Sedra have the human children she was not supposed to posses, she had gotten them and helped hide them with the help of Luce, a rebel and an enemy.
Sedra' career was over. But Aorle didn't have much interest in ending the career of a young sub-visser. If these had been normal circumstances she would have just approached Sedra and made an ally out of her, a subordinate ally since Aorle had all information needed to make sure that Sedra starved, but an ally all the same. But these were dark days for the empire. They had just lost an entire city and the Council, and the population, was looking for someone to blame. All the attention paid to the dead animorph was proof of that. With any luck Aorle would be able to hang Dallas around Sedra's neck as well and, by doing so, indebt the council to her and advance her standing with them. But, and this was the part she loved, because of Luce's involvement she may even be able to discredit Kas. It was obvious that he had helped hide the children, if only by signing the transfer in order to avoid any threat to his reputation. Now it would look like he had been in bed with a traitor for years.
Aorle was practically humming as her pilot set a course for Las Vegas.
Sedra:
The frosted glass door closed with a soft swoosh, shutting off the room from any more cluttering noise from the hallways outside. The Sub-Visser turned her head, considering the tray of food that had been laid on her desk. Every workday, around noontime, Sedra had set aside thirty minutes to take care of her host's needs, including eating. A standard thing, for someone of her rank.
Sedra shifted her weight, pushing away from the broad window she had been lounging against. The food didn't look particularly appetizing at the moment, but the pleasant scent of coffee was tempting her. Cupping her hand around the warm mug, Sedra resumed her spot against the heated window pane. The window overlooked the front courtyard to Area 51, fenced in by a high gate and patrolled by Hork-Bajir guards. Further still, the hot desert stretched out into the distant mountains, a tanned landscape dotted with thorny bushes and Joshua trees. Beautiful in it's own way.
Since the Animorph break-in the year previous, Sedra had been granted the right to tighter security. She'd made use of the opportunity immediately, strengthening the guard both inside and out. The medical wing itself had been rebuilt with updated security measures. However, even with new paint and steel, there was still the faint, lingering aroma of fire. An ever-present reminder of the Animorph's malicious destruction of her medical wing, and their willful murder of a couple dozen Yeerk scientists, human hosts and all. Humanity's Saviors.
This morning, she had arrived at work later than usual. Before leaving, she had locked both the children in the master bedroom with some food and toys, to her host's dismay. Neither Eva or Andrew were old enough to take care of themselves--or each other--but there was little other option for her anymore. Kiejen was insane, hiding somewhere. Luce was gone. There was no one left to trust.
Upon arriving at Area 51, she'd gotten little work done. There was too much running through her mind, too many thoughts swirling around in her head. Luce's departure had thrown her into disarray--even the thought of it stirred up a mixture of confusion, anger, hurt. Where had she mis-stepped? What specific thing had she done to make Luce just leave? Leave like none of it had mattered? Was it Dallas, something she hadn't even been a part of? Her words defending the Empire? The children? Why? The questions ate at her. The relationship had always been delicate, but it's loss wasn't something she had exactly been prepared to come across. Maybe she'd been foolish not to expect it. It still hurt immensely.
Inhaling the strong scent of the coffee, Sedra took a deep sip. Off on the black road leading to Area 51, there was a straight line of stirred up dust heading her way. She'd been watching it for a couple hours now, waiting. The utter flatness of the desert gave her the ability to see cars coming from hours away. The road was usually completely untraveled at this time of day, as everyone who worked at Area 51 would already be busy working at this time. Unless, of course, Sedra had company visiting. Which she didn't.
In the last thirty minutes, the dust had become more visible, moved more quickly. Hints of black had begun to materialize from the mess, a flash of tinted windows and metal. Ominous, almost. Once Sedra drained the last of her coffee, four cars--SUVs when Sedra peered closer--had arrived at the front gates. Without bothering with Sedra's approval, the guards let the cars in. Lowering her cup down, the Sub-Visser watched as a group of Hork-Bajir emerged from the SUVs. Wrapped around each alien's arm was a black band. Government troops.
Then, a human climbed out among them, flashing something at one of Sedra's guard, a Hork-Bajir who had leaned close to check something. The human was male. A man, with a strong build and shaved head. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, buttoned straight up the front to the throat. The outfit looked uncomfortable and hot under the desert sun, but he looked completely at ease in it. Sedra recognized him almost immediately. He worked directly for the Yeerk government, near directly for the Council of Thirteen. A commander of the very Hork-Bajir guard surrounding him. Kosk957. Sedra felt her breath catch in her throat, the hot coffee in her host's stomach burning.
After getting clearance from Sedra's guard, the man lead the group of Hork-Bajir out of view and into the building. Panic surged through her veins. There wasn't any good reason for a Yeerk of his high standing to be visiting Sedra's facility. If the news had been positive, there would have been a phone call warning her ahead of time of his arrival. If the problem had been any of the lower ranked Yeerks, Kosk957 wouldn't have been sent. This could mean only one thing.
<<The children. You can't let them do anything. You have to get back to Vegas, Sedra. You have to get back right now. They could have Andrew or Eva. They know where you live-->> Catherine's panicked thoughts were met with a quick, nasty hiss from Sedra. "Shut up, shut the hell up!" Sedra used all her power to forcibly shut herself off from her host's thoughts, taking a couple steps forward to her desk.
The food on the tray was cold by now, uneaten. She set her mug down near her computer, one hand clutched in the dark curls of her hair and the other braced against the desk's cool top. All possible routes of escape were flashing through her mind, but every situation ended up badly. There was desert stretching miles around, making it impossible by foot. All the available bug fighter ships were being worked on, outfitted with new weapons and unusable. A group of black-banded Hork-Bajir were stationed at the gate, waiting to intercept any car traffic. Sedra was trapped.
No. I won't run.
The office was silent, filled only with the gentle hum of her computer. Her tight, quick breaths slowed, then, and she straightened up, shoulders drawn back. The controlled mask, secured over her face. She wasn't a coward. She wouldn't run from Kosk, or his men. Even if her heart was thudding in her chest. When the door finally swished open, revealing Kosk's smirking, scarred face and the alien leers of his band of Hork-Bajir, their presence was met with a dignified smile and cold eyes.
"Commander Kosk957. What a pleasure to see you here."
The commander eyed her briefly, before scanning around the office room. His host's eyes were a hardened grey, the color of steel. After scouting out the room, they focused back on Sedra, amused. "Sub-Visser 42, or as I should say, Sedra 149. It is a pleasure, isn't it?" Four black-banded Hork-Bajir stepped around the commander, filling in the empty office space with their large, bladed bodies. All four had dracon beams in their hands, pointed at her. Sedra stiffened, but continued to stand motionless by her desk. The commander took a lazy step forward, tugging at the cuff of his sleeve and glancing at the Hork-Bajir next to him. "Arrest her."
Fluidly, two of the Hork-Bajir approached Sedra. One held a common metal handcuff in his taloned hand, the type that humans used to use on each other. There were, of course, better alternatives, bonds that wouldn't rub her host's wrists raw or blister her flesh. It was obvious, as the guards roughly grabbed her wrists and clamped the handcuffs around them, that the commander wanted to make a show of this. Sedra drew her chin up, staring the yeerk straight in the eyes. "What am I charged with, commander? I'm at least owed the respect in that. As a loyal subject of the Yeerk Empire, I--"
Kosk simply held one hand up, interrupting her. The amused smirk on his face had long disappeared, in its place, a scowl. A scar curving beneath his lower lip exaggerated the expression. "Sedra 149, I was given the order to arrest you by the Council." In his other hand, he waved around a folded piece of paper that he produced from one of his suit pockets. No doubt some signed proof of his warrant. The gray steel of his stare was intense, and one of his thick eyebrows was arched up and the other furrowed. It gave the appearance of him squinting at her with one eye, as if he was scrutinizing her.
"As a suspected high-treason traitor to the Empire, Sedra 149, you are owed nothing. Take comfort in that fact that I even tell you that. Or, that I wasn't given the direct order to kill you on sight." The commander turned from her, and the Hork-Bajir in front of him parted to make way. In some respects, he was right. Sedra had seen many lower-ranked yeerks--yeerks who'd caused trouble in some way to the Empire, one way or another--disappear without so much as a word. The only thing protecting her now, it seemed, was her rank and social standing. Sedra knew there was a long list of illegal activities she could be charged with. It was just a matter of figuring out which one they knew about.
The Hork-Bajir at her sides urged her forward through the door, into the long, white-washed hallways of Area 51. She didn't resist, matching their steady pace without effort and holding her head high. Already, some of Sedra's employees were eagerly gathering against the walls to watch their Sub-Visser taken. The further the group walked, the thicker the workers and scientists lined the walls, their mouths agape and faces shocked. Sedra ignored them all, keeping her gaze and face fixed forward, regal in her posture as she was lead forward. The guilty always pandered to the masses for pity; the guilty slouched their shoulders and ducked their chins down against their chest. If Kosk wanted to parade her around her own facility, Sedra wouldn't give her employees any reason to believe she was guilty.
The front entrance of Area 51 was a two story lobby, with hallways that webbed out to the different sections of the facility. Barring entrance was a spacious stone counter, worked by lowly assistants and flanked on both sides by Bio-Filters. It prevented unwelcome visitors from making an unannounced entry, provided they somehow found a way around the high gate outside. While Area 51 was not as secretive or shut off as it had been when humans had controlled it, there was still a need to regulate who entered the place. It was a government-owned business and building.
More yeerks had gathered near the entrance to watch Sedra taken away, the lobby full of their half-whispers and murmuring voices. The commander's group filed through one of the Bio-Filters without pause, leading Sedra to the double doors leading outside. They were met with a wave of mid-summer heat that immediately sucked away the cold, air-conditioned air from inside Area 51. A bead of warm sweat tickled between Sedra's shoulder blades, and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of the metal handcuffs rubbing against her wrists.
The commander climbed into one of the black SUVs, slamming the door close after himself. Sedra was led to the same car and shoved inside. The rest of the seats were filled with the heavy bodies of the black-banded Hork-Bajir guard, not bothering to buckle themselves in. Sedra herself was struggling with the seat belt--it was harder to manipulate it with her hands hand-cuffed--as the SUV roared to life and began to pull out of Area 51's courtyard. Once she was finally buckled, she leaned back in her seat with a stifled sigh. The desert scenery flashed across the window to her side, and she turned her head to watch it. Kosk was seated in the seat across from her, and she felt his eyes on her.
<<How much do you think they know?>> Catherine asked, her manner subdued. Sedra continued staring out the window, her lips pressed into a distant frown. Her host's concern was light, and it only took a second for Sedra to dig deeper, sink lower into the cracks of her mind to know what she was really thinking. It was, of course, nothing positive towards Sedra. The part of Catherine that abhorred Sedra--that wanted the yeerk in her head starved and dead--was rejoicing silently. But it was a future uncertain, and with Sedra gone, Catherine would be further away from being freed than before. The arrest meant the possibility of a new infestation. There was even a chance that the Council might decide to dispose of Sedra's host and the offending memories along with it. That was, if they were able to prove whatever they were accusing her of.
<<I don't know. Maybe everything. Maybe nothing,>> Sedra responded simply. It had always been easier, as a Sub-Visser, to cover her tracks. Far easier than a yeerk of a lower rank. The higher-ups tended to turn a blind-eye on most occasions, especially for lesser crimes like killing those of lower rank. It was the natural chain of life, wasn't it? Eat or be eaten, survival of the ruthless. It tended to weed out the weaker subordinates, even if it was generally 'frowned upon' by others.
Other crimes were less forgivable. Illegal activities, like forming intimate relationships with other yeerks. Acting on those relationships. Producing unauthorized host offspring. Sympathizing with a host species. The very nature of the Yeerk Empire usually helped discourage others from doing such things. Neighbors spied on neighbors who spied on neighbors. Everyone searched desperately for some way to lift themselves into the higher ranks, and did their best to cut down competition. Even if Sedra was as careful as she could possibly be, there was always someone out looking for a crack to exploit.
Riding quietly in the car, a strong sense of unease began to rise in Sedra. There wasn't any telling how this would end up, but she would keep her head up as long as she could.
A crowd of controllers had already gathered at the entrance to the Luxor casino when the four cars showed up. The tinted windows hid the occupants of the cars, but word had spread fast about a Sub-Visser being taken in for a trial. The charges weren't anything small, either--rumors were flying that the Empire had enough evidence to prove the Sub-Visser was connected with some major, treasonous crimes. The immense pyramid of the Luxor casino had been cleared out specifically for the occasion, which in itself had gathered a crowd of curious on-lookers and bored gamblers. At least, that was what Kosk had told Sedra. Agents from the Empire had been agitating these rumors, spreading key tidbits of information that would entice a crowd to gather. This whole thing was made out to be very public.
Kosk957, commander of the Empire's black-banded Hork-Bajir, folded his hands together and regarded Sedra sitting in the car seat across from him. He looked comfortable in his leather seat. "The inspector of your case has been given two days to gather what's required for the trial. You're given the same amount of time. During this time, you'll be given accommodation in one of the Luxor room suites, under surveillance of course, to prepare your defense."
Sedra met the commander's gaze, her dark blue eyes smoldering. The metal handcuffs bit into her flesh, and she ached to rub her sore wrists. "Accommodation? You mean to imprison me. I cannot prepare anything if I'm not told exactly what I'm being charged with, commander."
Kosk's scarred mouth twisted into a tight smile. Outside the tinted windows, the Hork-Bajir guard were clearing a pathway to the entrance of the casino. "If you're not guilty, it shouldn't be a problem." Sedra's eyes flashed at the statement, outrage swelling in her chest. One of the Hork-Bajir advanced to the SUV's window, knocking his wrist blade lightly against the glass. The commander perked up, leather creaking as he leaned forward in his seat. "Ahh, seems we're cleared to go." The door was opened, and immediately the desert heat seeped inside. Kosk slipped out of the car, waiting for one of the Hork-Bajir to pull Sedra out after him.
Exiting the SUV, Sedra stood straight, blinking in the bright afternoon light. The crowd of controllers was larger than she had expected, curving down the sidewalk and out of view. The ones nearest the cars all craned their necks and stood on their toes, anxious to see the Sub-Visser in handcuffs. Above them all loomed the callous stone replica of the Sphinx, the entrance nestled between its massive arms. The sphinx itself was shadowed only by the black glass pyramid behind it, the light on its tip rumored to reach all the way into space. It was a flashy place to pick, but none too surprising to her.
Sedra was led between the lines of controllers, both arms ensnared in the clumsy talons of two black-banded Hork-Bajir. The controllers didn't speak loudly, but their gazes burned on her and she could hear their whispering. It was fascinating for them to watch someone of a higher rank brought down low. They were excited to see someone brought to trial, eagerly anticipating the worst. Sedra didn't know if the sentiment was more human or yeerk.
There were two human controllers standing at the entrance, leisurely blocking it. One was a man, shouldering a device that looked similar to a human camera and dressed in shorts. The other was a vaguely familiar woman, dressed in an onyx black suit with a small microphone clipped to her lapel. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, strands of it stuck to the sides of her face with sweat. There was a wide smile pasted on her mouth as she approached the commander, her face looking over-powdered with make-up.
"Commander Kosk957! We've been waiting," The woman said fluidly, eyes darting from Kosk to Sedra and back. Kosk gave her a curt nod, smiling. The man next to the woman shrugged the camera uncomfortably, his free hand dancing across switches. As he did, the woman moved shoulder to shoulder with Kosk, straightening her suit. Sedra was trying not to stare at her, getting the sense that she knew the woman from somewhere. Not in any personal way, but in the way someone would recognize a celebrity. It was Catherine who finally touched on it.
<<She's Laurie Blanco. She was a local news anchor for Vegas before the invasion. I've seen her before many times.>> The memories surfacing were from her host--memories of early mornings spent getting ready for school, the low hum of the news coming from the downstairs TV. <<I didn't realize yeerks still did much news casting. Poor Laurie.>>
<<It wasn't needed before. Our civilization wasn't so expansive before Earth.>> Sedra answered. A blinding light from the camera flashed on, directed in their faces. The controller holding it shifted his weight, bending his knees and fiddling with more switches. A smaller, cherry-red light began to flicker on and off. Then, with two fingers, the man signaled the yeerk controlling Laurie. The cherry light steadied, and the anchorwoman stiffened. Another signal from the camera man, and she started speaking.
"This is an Empire approved broadcast, granted to us by the Council of Thirteen and brought to you by me, Gadda461." She gestured towards Kosk standing next to her. "Next to me Commander Kosk957, valued associate of the Empire and Council. He has brought into custody a suspected Empire traitor." The hand gestured towards Sedra. "The suspected traitor's designation is Sub-Visser 42, pool name Sedra 149." Gadda turned to the commander, raising both her eyebrows questioningly. "Commander, enlighten us. What information do you have?"
The commander's hand slipped to Sedra's back, resting lightly on the heated nape of her neck. He drew her forward slightly and Sedra tensed, her jaw clenching. Within the black reflected eye of the camera, Sedra could barely make out her own reflection. The curls of her hair were loose, stuck to the sides of her face in some places. The usual hardened appearance of her face was softened, worn.
"As you see, she's been taken into custody. The Sub-Visser was given fair warning of the arrest, as well as alerted of her charges. There was still a cowardly attempt at escape, where she pulled a dracon beam on one of my guards. Her eventual arrest was met with a struggle--"
Gadda cut in immediately, jumping at the opportunity. "Clearly the markings of the guilty, commander." Sedra stared forward numbly, ire seeping into every limb and bone. The commander's blatant lying was a low blow, but he knew he was safe. It strengthened the image of her guilt. None of the controllers standing behind her had the ears to hear any sort of protest from her. She was the one in handcuffs. "What charges have been brought against her?"
The commander eyed the news anchor, before answering. "The trial is taking place publicly in the Luxor casino, in two days time. Her crimes range from petty insubordination to hefty accusations of high treason." The commander paused, as if he was finished. Gadda leaned sideways towards him, her host's eyes focused on him.
"How high are these charges, commander? Surely you know...?" The last sentence trailed off as an inquiry, as if she questioned how much information he'd actually been privy too. The commander seemed to take the bait, continuing hesitantly.
"Ah, yes. Most notably among those charges, the recent destruction of a major yeerk city, Dallas. A retroactive charge, based on new evidence, of the destruction of Hoover Dam. Many others." Both charges caught Sedra off-guard. Her expression shifted, revealing her confusion. What were they talking about? She had never even been to Dallas, much less planned it's destruction. The place had never held any interest to her whatsoever. And Hoover Dam? She'd been the only controller competent enough to almost stop it's destruction. She'd taken it upon herself, as her loyal duty to the Yeerk Empire, to stop the Animorphs. This was absurd.
Barely able to contain herself, Sedra glared at Kosk. "Commander--"
Gadda interrupted her, "The Empire is fortunate to have apprehended this traitor. A major success, commander." Every word she spoke was full of confidence, as if Sedra's guilt was already proven. It was becoming more and more clear to her that the trial might just be for show. The commander nodded in agreeance with Gadda.
The yeerk anchorwoman turned back towards the camera, flashing a white-toothed grin. "We've been informed a specially selected list of approved controllers have been invited to witness the trial personally. However, I will be bringing you, loyal subjects of the Empire, information as I'm given. Thank you for watching, this was Gadda461 in an Empire approved broadcast." Gadda held her camera-slick pose until the light finally flashed off, and the red light on the camera faded. Her body relaxed, and she turned happily to the commander. "Good will, Kosk. I hope the trial goes favorably." Her gaze flashed to Sedra, malicious. "And good luck to you, Sub-Visser."
Sedra bristled, her lip curled into a snarl. The desire to tear that smug grin off that controller woman's face was strong, and the muscles of her arms twitched. Then the commander grabbed her, drawing her towards the waiting entrance of the Luxor. She was forced to follow. The interior of the casino was blessedly cold compared to the outside, constantly churning out an air-conditioned breeze from somewhere. The sweat across her face and neck dried, feeling cool on her skin.
As the group moved inside, the aroma of chlorinated water and stale cigarette smoke enveloped them. The entire entrance was lined with bright white lights, reflecting against the slick, shiny marble floor. Above, the ceiling of the casino tiered up and away to the very top of the Luxor. Each level was a floor of hotel rooms, overlooking the hollow inside of the pyramid. The entrance of the casino branched into three directions, two to the side and one path to the front. The path ahead of them was flanked on each sides by small, decorative pools, bubbling and frothing serenely. Rising over both pools were three palm trees, giving off the dull scent of dirt and leaves. They stood tall and firm above matching miniature sphinx statues, perched regally on stone boxes. Seated on either side of the arch leading into the casino's main floor were two larger sculptures, imposing ancient pharaohs sitting upon their thrones.
The usual clamor of quarters hitting trays and slot machines running was gone. The controllers who gambled here had been cleared out for the trial, leaving the floor eerily quiet. The commander led them beneath the arch, past empty slot machine seats to an elevator. It took them to the higher floors, where Sedra was shown to one of the hotel suites. The room was decorated in the same Egyptian motif recurring throughout the entire casino, complete with a hieroglyph slab painting hanging above the exotic design of the bedspread.
Sedra stood near the doorway, wrists still bound together in handcuffs, facing Kosk. The commander motioned a couple Hork-Bajir behind him, giving them space to move into the room. He met her gaze fleetingly, then turned away and shut the door with a click. One of the Hork-Bajir took his place in front of the door, a tight fit for his ample bulk.
Sedra took heavy steps over to the bed, climbing onto its soft surface and resting her back against the headboard. Bunching her legs up against her chest, she leaned forward to lay her forehead against her knees. Despite its size, the room felt claustrophobic with two Hork-Bajir watching over her. It was going to be a long couple days.
Zach took out thirty dollars and handed them to Ralkiz 147. The currency was pretty much worthless at this point. The Council had figured out that controlling a large empire would require creating an economy but they were trying to build their own from scratch instead of inheriting the one the humans had left behind. They were having limited success so far.
So while a dollar couldn't buy you much these days it could still by you more than an Empiric Krugan since that was the fifth currency the Council had tried to begin putting into circulation in the past two years. The thirty dollars had just bought Kiejen another three days of life from the portable kadrona pool Ralkiz maintained, here in the boondocks of New Orleans. The business was highly illegal of course but fairly profitable since it catered to the ever growing number of yeerks who, for whatever reason, didn't feel safe going to the official pool.
Like Kiejen and Zach, many of them were political outcasts, yeerks that had made a powerful enemy in the empire and had a choice between waiting for the assassin or choosing a life in hiding. Kiejen was no fool and Zach was not suicidal. They had decided to run.
"You gonna be back or are you thinking of moving again?" Ralkiz asked as Zach stepped into the humid, swampy air of southern Louisiana. Zach listened to an owl's hunting call somewhere off in the night and slapped at a mosquito as he considered the question.
"I think I'll be sticking around for a while despite the dreadful atmosphere down here," Zach replied as he used his sleeve to wipe his for head. He still couldn't get used to this weather. He didn't mind the heat, years of living in Vegas had made him almost immune to it. It was the wet. He felt like the air was so heavy he wouldn't be able to breath.
"Then I'll see you in three days. Don't be late," Ralkiz said as he turned around and reentered his little shack that squatted upon stilts above the swamp like some wooden toad. Zach was left to climb down to the water level and reenter the boat he had taken to get out here. He stumbled a bit as he entered the small row boat and it almost turned over. He cursed slightly and fumbled to grab the sides and steady himself. After a moment the boat had stopped rocking and Zach sat down and grabbed the handles of the oars after he had unhitched it from the dock. He turned on the forward facing flashlight and began making his way out of the swamp, carefully navigating around the large trees that grew right out of the water.
"Feel better?" Zach asked conversationally and was only greeted by silence. "Don't feel like talking?" he asked. "It isn't that." The voice was exactly the same as the one that had asked the question, as it should be since it was being created by the same vocal cords. But it was obvious someone else was speaking now. Before the yeerks had landed the locals of New Orleans may have suspected that Zach had been possessed by some sort of demon or put under some sort of curse. Or maybe he was just insane and needed to be committed. But now anyone would recognize a yeerk and a host when they saw one.
"I'm wondering why he asked about my next feeding," Kiejen said, using Zach's voice as easily as if it were his own. After all these years he considered it his own and since Kiejen had withdrawn into himself and left Zach mostly in control of his body most of the time, Zach had found he wasn't too opposed to sharing.
"Making sure he had another customer?" Zach suggested as his upper back muscles pulled against the weight of the boat and the person in it. Sweat was breaking out on his forehead and the back of his neck again, attracting what seemed like the entire mosquito and fly population of Louisiana.
<<Perhaps,>> Kiejen responded, switching to just communicating mind to mind. <<But he has never asked us before. Maybe we should consider moving on.>> Zach just grunted as he concentrated on rowing the boat but Kiejen watched as Zach's mind replayed the scene with Ralkiz in his head and came to the same conclusion that Kiejen had. Kiejen knew his answer before he bothered to say it but he kept that fact to himself. It was important to maintain some illusion of privacy after all.
"Yeah. Let's move."
************************
Aorle 150 slowly moved her hand to the right and the holographic image sped up, fast forwarding through events and scenes she was too familiar with after all these months of watching this footage. She paused and the hologram froze on a grainy image of a young woman, young by human standards anyway. Maybe in her teens or a little older. Asian heritage, so her host's mind told her, not that the little fact told her much about who she was looking at. The girl could be from China or Korea or Japan but somehow Aorle doubted it. The country this land used to belong too had been fairly diverse. It was just as likely that she was just one more American.
But her heritage didn't matter much to Aorle. What mattered was that her features were familiar. In fact, this one face had to be one of the most famous ones in the empire right now. The dead animorph who had become a bit of a legend in the past few weeks. Some thought that the animorphs had released the virus on purpose in an attempt to kill the yeerks and the humans both. "Give me liberty or give me death!" Wasn't that a famous saying of the humans? Their history was certainly full of instances of suicidal madness. It wasn't too far off the mark to think that the humans had released the virus on purpose.
But Aorle didn't think that was true, or if it was, it had been the decision of a few insane humans as opposed to the whole animorph operation. She had been investigating these rebels for years now and the scenes of mass death and destruction just did not fit their style.
Still, it was a popular theory, and as such, the animorphs were a popular subject and this girl had become the face of the animorphs. To some, she was a terrorist. To others she was a martyr, and example of why yeerks and humans needed to find a way to live together. Sentimental, weak souled, lies and half wishes that Aorle didn't pay serious heed to, no one of any real power did. Yeerks and humans could not live together. This girl was not a martyr to some peaceful cause, nor was she a wanton terrorist and mass murderer. Well she was, but to Aorle, what was more important was that she was a link. Because the footage she was looking at was not the hour or so of images that the YPM had managed to sneak out of Dallas in the final hours. The holo she was looking at had come from a security camera that had survived the destruction dealt out at the Hoover Dam.
Aorle looked down to see the results of the facial recognition program she had run on both images, not surprised at all to see that it was showing her she had a match. She waved both holograms away and the images quickly dissolved and faded. Another piece in the puzzle.
She turned and regarded the young man chained to a small platform in the middle of a medium sized kadrona pool. He looked haggard and half mad, his clothing ripped and dirty, his wrists red from where he had strained and struggled against the bonds that held him. He was screaming but Aorle couldn't hear any sound through the small force field that kept the starving yeerk in his head from getting to the nutrition it needed.
Aorle walked over to another console and keyed in combination to thin the forcefield enough to let sound through. As the program went into effect and the force field thinned the sounds of screams slowly grew, almost as if someone was turning up the volume on a tv.
"Please! Please, I've told you everything I know. That's all I know! Just let me go! Let him go! Get him out of me!" The author of the words switched between the yeerk and the host as both shook violently in pain. Aorle watched him, her lips slightly pursed and one eyebrow raised in disapproval of his over dramatic behavior.
"Yes, I know you did." She pushed a button and his bonds were released as the last of the forcefield faded away. He fell forward, no longer being held up by his restraints and almost immediately the tip of a yeerk appeared in the ear canal closest to the pool. Kiejen 435 abandoned his host and slipped into the sludgy waters of the yeerk pool. His host, Zachery McLachlan, 32, former real estate agent and son of Trish and Michael McLachlan of Arizona, slowly sat up, looking almost as if he had been the one on the brink of starvation.
Many yeerks saw no reason to bother with knowing their host or the hosts of their fellow yeerks at all. They saw the humans as chattel. But Aorle found it useful to understand her rival's hosts. She never forgot that she was talking to two minds when she talked to a controller, and so their were two people she had to manipulate, two separate motivations she had to keep in mind. Information on the host had never failed to be useful before.
"When Kiejen is done I want you both to clean up. You work for me now." She informed him in a no nonsense tone. "If you threaten to betray my secrets as you threatened to betray Sedra's you will not get a chance to run or hide. Kiejen will starve and, after he is dead, you will be fed to the Taxxons alive. Am I understood?" Zach nodded weakly, still too shaky to risk anything more physically demanding. His eyes briefly flickered up to look at Aorle but looked away in fear. She wasn't lying to him and he knew it. "Good. We leave for Vegas in the morning."
"Vegas?" he asked weakly, his voice cracking because his throat was so dry. She saw him lick chapped lips that had cracked and started to bleed. He looked like he was contemplating trying to drink the yeerk pool and Aorle took some pity on him.
"Yes. Vegas. There is water over there," she said, pointing towards a cabinet under the holo console she had been working from. She turned away as he began to struggle towards the cabinet and walked back to her personal quarters to take a shower. As an Inspector of the Council, Aorle was given fairly large ship. It wasn't big enough that it needed a large crew, just a pilot and maybe a few others to serve her as she saw fit. But the ship was large enough that she could live on it for months comfortably. It needed to be since she traveled all over the empire in her line of work.
As she keyed her personal identification code into the panel by the door that led to her cabin she felt her host stir slightly. Celeste was defeated and broken and Aorle preferred it that way. More than many others she knew how many problems a rebellious host could cause. Still, at the mention of Vegas, she felt the smallest flame of hope light in Celeste's mind. Celeste did not hope to be free, that was too much. But she was hoping to see her daughter. Just to see. At the same time she didn't want Aorle to get any where close to the child.
"Oh, you'll see your daughter," Aorle promised as she entered her room and headed for the human bathrooms on the other side. "I'm sure she will show up when Sedra is arrested." Aorle felt a wave of almost overwhelming despair and fear come at her from Celeste's mind. She laughed.
Celeste Tragar, 48, former interpreter for an international bank. Known family; husband John Tragar, daughters, Luce and Nicole Tragar. All four formerly of South Hampton, Long Island USA. Formerly of Palmerston North, New Zealand. Formerly of Bristol, England. Formerly of, well the woman had travelled a lot, Aorle didn't really bother to keep track past England where the New Zealand native had met her American husband-to-be while both were studying at Oxford. John was now the host of a yeerk that had no hope of ever rising above the rank of Bladeship pilot, which was his current job. Nicole, on the other hand, was the host of a yeerk who was already a Sub-Visser somewhere in Europe and would require some checking up on. And Luce, Luce was the reason Aorle had Celeste as a host in the first place.
She wasn't the only one who believed in knowing and controlling a host through their pasts. Kas 690, arguably Aorle's most dangerous opponent and challenger to the Council seat she had her eye on, had as well. So when one of his most valued operatives, Jals 732, had acquired a new host Kas had made sure that Luce's family was given to low level and, so far, unambitious yeerks. But Aorle had been more ambitious than she'd yet shown and smarter than any of her superiors had understood. She had slowly and quietly worked her way up the ranks and collected the network or those who owed her favors, those who feared her, those who liked her and those who hated her that turned into power when used correctly. And she had been quiet enough about it that, by the time Kas had realized what was happening, it was already too late to try to replace Aorle with a more controllable yeerk.
As Aorle had made herself a serious rival to Kas' dreams of a Council seat and power a hatred had developed between the two that was almost legendary to those who were privileged enough to be in the political circles that Aorle and Kas had turned into their private arenas. Aorle kept careful track of all of Kas' activities and known associates, looking for a way to discredit him, and she was sure he did the same. Except now Aorle thought she had the hammer that she could use to pound the last nail into the coffin of Kas' career and political hopes.
A couple of months ago one of their many Human Child Reeducation and Indoctrination Facilities had been broken into and the children set free. It was pretty clear that it had been the animorphs who had done it, they hadn't tried to hide their involvement. She had multiple records of a jaguar running around the facility attacking guards. A crocodile making its way into the camp via a river, something no one had thought to guard against despite the fact their enemy could morph into any living creature (Aorle took a moment to scoff at their stupidity). No, it hadn't been hard to pin the break out on the animorphs. In fact, the evidence was so solid that the case had never even come across Aorle's desk. At least not by official channels.
However, that particular institution had housed a particular child that Aorle had marked in the files and had received regular reports on and so her abduction had raised a red flag in Aorle's personal system. Eva Michel, 4 years old. Daughter of Mark and Catherine Michel, controlled by Sefran 324 and Sedra 149. Sefran was now, and had been for quite some time, Host Conditioner and Rehabilitator. A fancy title that meant he worked in the holding facility in Phoenix, Arizona. He was not likely to ever rise above his current rank.
Sedra, however, was quite a talented young scientist and showed all the traits required to advance within the empire; ambition, ruthlessness and intelligence. It was really too bad that she had gotten involved with Jals. Aorle couldn't prove that of course, if she could she may have been able to use it against Kas before. But what would not stand up in court and what she could reasonably suspect to be the truth were two different things. As far as Aorle could tell Sedra had been involved with Jals both before and after the yeerk had acquired her host's daughter as a host. Aorle had become aware of this after Kas had signed the order to have Eva and Andrew Michals put into the Indonesian facility. Child placement was far below Kas' notice and Aorle had taken the time to investigate his interest in these particular children.
Kas was careful, as always. There had not been enough evidence to convict Jals of anything let alone Kas but Aorle had just added the information to her files and waited for it to pay off. Now it looked like it had. Eva had disappeared, along with about 40 other children. A small loss. But Sedra had been present at the scene. She hadn't even bothered to hide the fact that she was visiting that particular facility. And why should she, she had done nothing wrong and no one knew that the girl was her daughter. But Aorle found it highly unlikely that Sedra had just happened to visit the facility where the girl was being held. Even if she was in charge of the project commonly known as birth mothers and could claim she was doing research on human development.
And yet Sedra had not been the one to break Eva out. The animorphs had. Was it enough to prove that Sedra had collaborated with enemies of the empire? No. Was it enough to suspect her of doing so. Certainly. And so Sedra 149 had come back to Aorle's attention after years of dismissal. And once Aorle had started to investigate her she had found that the sub-visser may have been up to many interesting things.
She seemed to keep showing up where ever the animorphs struck. First the Hoover Dam, then the Indonesian facility. Coincidence? Perhaps. Aorle had hoped not and now she finally had the proof she needed. She had records of Sedra on the scene at Hoover Dam. Records that put her in the same room as both Luce, a human Aorle knew to be an animorph, and this asian legend, who the whole empire knew to be an animorph. An animorph that had just been a major piece of the demise of Dallas. And to top it all off Aorle had Kiejen. Kiejen 435, who would testify that, not only did Sedra have the human children she was not supposed to posses, she had gotten them and helped hide them with the help of Luce, a rebel and an enemy.
Sedra' career was over. But Aorle didn't have much interest in ending the career of a young sub-visser. If these had been normal circumstances she would have just approached Sedra and made an ally out of her, a subordinate ally since Aorle had all information needed to make sure that Sedra starved, but an ally all the same. But these were dark days for the empire. They had just lost an entire city and the Council, and the population, was looking for someone to blame. All the attention paid to the dead animorph was proof of that. With any luck Aorle would be able to hang Dallas around Sedra's neck as well and, by doing so, indebt the council to her and advance her standing with them. But, and this was the part she loved, because of Luce's involvement she may even be able to discredit Kas. It was obvious that he had helped hide the children, if only by signing the transfer in order to avoid any threat to his reputation. Now it would look like he had been in bed with a traitor for years.
Aorle was practically humming as her pilot set a course for Las Vegas.
Sedra:
Pt. 1
The frosted glass door closed with a soft swoosh, shutting off the room from any more cluttering noise from the hallways outside. The Sub-Visser turned her head, considering the tray of food that had been laid on her desk. Every workday, around noontime, Sedra had set aside thirty minutes to take care of her host's needs, including eating. A standard thing, for someone of her rank.
Sedra shifted her weight, pushing away from the broad window she had been lounging against. The food didn't look particularly appetizing at the moment, but the pleasant scent of coffee was tempting her. Cupping her hand around the warm mug, Sedra resumed her spot against the heated window pane. The window overlooked the front courtyard to Area 51, fenced in by a high gate and patrolled by Hork-Bajir guards. Further still, the hot desert stretched out into the distant mountains, a tanned landscape dotted with thorny bushes and Joshua trees. Beautiful in it's own way.
Since the Animorph break-in the year previous, Sedra had been granted the right to tighter security. She'd made use of the opportunity immediately, strengthening the guard both inside and out. The medical wing itself had been rebuilt with updated security measures. However, even with new paint and steel, there was still the faint, lingering aroma of fire. An ever-present reminder of the Animorph's malicious destruction of her medical wing, and their willful murder of a couple dozen Yeerk scientists, human hosts and all. Humanity's Saviors.
This morning, she had arrived at work later than usual. Before leaving, she had locked both the children in the master bedroom with some food and toys, to her host's dismay. Neither Eva or Andrew were old enough to take care of themselves--or each other--but there was little other option for her anymore. Kiejen was insane, hiding somewhere. Luce was gone. There was no one left to trust.
Upon arriving at Area 51, she'd gotten little work done. There was too much running through her mind, too many thoughts swirling around in her head. Luce's departure had thrown her into disarray--even the thought of it stirred up a mixture of confusion, anger, hurt. Where had she mis-stepped? What specific thing had she done to make Luce just leave? Leave like none of it had mattered? Was it Dallas, something she hadn't even been a part of? Her words defending the Empire? The children? Why? The questions ate at her. The relationship had always been delicate, but it's loss wasn't something she had exactly been prepared to come across. Maybe she'd been foolish not to expect it. It still hurt immensely.
Inhaling the strong scent of the coffee, Sedra took a deep sip. Off on the black road leading to Area 51, there was a straight line of stirred up dust heading her way. She'd been watching it for a couple hours now, waiting. The utter flatness of the desert gave her the ability to see cars coming from hours away. The road was usually completely untraveled at this time of day, as everyone who worked at Area 51 would already be busy working at this time. Unless, of course, Sedra had company visiting. Which she didn't.
In the last thirty minutes, the dust had become more visible, moved more quickly. Hints of black had begun to materialize from the mess, a flash of tinted windows and metal. Ominous, almost. Once Sedra drained the last of her coffee, four cars--SUVs when Sedra peered closer--had arrived at the front gates. Without bothering with Sedra's approval, the guards let the cars in. Lowering her cup down, the Sub-Visser watched as a group of Hork-Bajir emerged from the SUVs. Wrapped around each alien's arm was a black band. Government troops.
Then, a human climbed out among them, flashing something at one of Sedra's guard, a Hork-Bajir who had leaned close to check something. The human was male. A man, with a strong build and shaved head. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, buttoned straight up the front to the throat. The outfit looked uncomfortable and hot under the desert sun, but he looked completely at ease in it. Sedra recognized him almost immediately. He worked directly for the Yeerk government, near directly for the Council of Thirteen. A commander of the very Hork-Bajir guard surrounding him. Kosk957. Sedra felt her breath catch in her throat, the hot coffee in her host's stomach burning.
After getting clearance from Sedra's guard, the man lead the group of Hork-Bajir out of view and into the building. Panic surged through her veins. There wasn't any good reason for a Yeerk of his high standing to be visiting Sedra's facility. If the news had been positive, there would have been a phone call warning her ahead of time of his arrival. If the problem had been any of the lower ranked Yeerks, Kosk957 wouldn't have been sent. This could mean only one thing.
<<The children. You can't let them do anything. You have to get back to Vegas, Sedra. You have to get back right now. They could have Andrew or Eva. They know where you live-->> Catherine's panicked thoughts were met with a quick, nasty hiss from Sedra. "Shut up, shut the hell up!" Sedra used all her power to forcibly shut herself off from her host's thoughts, taking a couple steps forward to her desk.
The food on the tray was cold by now, uneaten. She set her mug down near her computer, one hand clutched in the dark curls of her hair and the other braced against the desk's cool top. All possible routes of escape were flashing through her mind, but every situation ended up badly. There was desert stretching miles around, making it impossible by foot. All the available bug fighter ships were being worked on, outfitted with new weapons and unusable. A group of black-banded Hork-Bajir were stationed at the gate, waiting to intercept any car traffic. Sedra was trapped.
No. I won't run.
The office was silent, filled only with the gentle hum of her computer. Her tight, quick breaths slowed, then, and she straightened up, shoulders drawn back. The controlled mask, secured over her face. She wasn't a coward. She wouldn't run from Kosk, or his men. Even if her heart was thudding in her chest. When the door finally swished open, revealing Kosk's smirking, scarred face and the alien leers of his band of Hork-Bajir, their presence was met with a dignified smile and cold eyes.
"Commander Kosk957. What a pleasure to see you here."
The commander eyed her briefly, before scanning around the office room. His host's eyes were a hardened grey, the color of steel. After scouting out the room, they focused back on Sedra, amused. "Sub-Visser 42, or as I should say, Sedra 149. It is a pleasure, isn't it?" Four black-banded Hork-Bajir stepped around the commander, filling in the empty office space with their large, bladed bodies. All four had dracon beams in their hands, pointed at her. Sedra stiffened, but continued to stand motionless by her desk. The commander took a lazy step forward, tugging at the cuff of his sleeve and glancing at the Hork-Bajir next to him. "Arrest her."
Fluidly, two of the Hork-Bajir approached Sedra. One held a common metal handcuff in his taloned hand, the type that humans used to use on each other. There were, of course, better alternatives, bonds that wouldn't rub her host's wrists raw or blister her flesh. It was obvious, as the guards roughly grabbed her wrists and clamped the handcuffs around them, that the commander wanted to make a show of this. Sedra drew her chin up, staring the yeerk straight in the eyes. "What am I charged with, commander? I'm at least owed the respect in that. As a loyal subject of the Yeerk Empire, I--"
Kosk simply held one hand up, interrupting her. The amused smirk on his face had long disappeared, in its place, a scowl. A scar curving beneath his lower lip exaggerated the expression. "Sedra 149, I was given the order to arrest you by the Council." In his other hand, he waved around a folded piece of paper that he produced from one of his suit pockets. No doubt some signed proof of his warrant. The gray steel of his stare was intense, and one of his thick eyebrows was arched up and the other furrowed. It gave the appearance of him squinting at her with one eye, as if he was scrutinizing her.
"As a suspected high-treason traitor to the Empire, Sedra 149, you are owed nothing. Take comfort in that fact that I even tell you that. Or, that I wasn't given the direct order to kill you on sight." The commander turned from her, and the Hork-Bajir in front of him parted to make way. In some respects, he was right. Sedra had seen many lower-ranked yeerks--yeerks who'd caused trouble in some way to the Empire, one way or another--disappear without so much as a word. The only thing protecting her now, it seemed, was her rank and social standing. Sedra knew there was a long list of illegal activities she could be charged with. It was just a matter of figuring out which one they knew about.
The Hork-Bajir at her sides urged her forward through the door, into the long, white-washed hallways of Area 51. She didn't resist, matching their steady pace without effort and holding her head high. Already, some of Sedra's employees were eagerly gathering against the walls to watch their Sub-Visser taken. The further the group walked, the thicker the workers and scientists lined the walls, their mouths agape and faces shocked. Sedra ignored them all, keeping her gaze and face fixed forward, regal in her posture as she was lead forward. The guilty always pandered to the masses for pity; the guilty slouched their shoulders and ducked their chins down against their chest. If Kosk wanted to parade her around her own facility, Sedra wouldn't give her employees any reason to believe she was guilty.
The front entrance of Area 51 was a two story lobby, with hallways that webbed out to the different sections of the facility. Barring entrance was a spacious stone counter, worked by lowly assistants and flanked on both sides by Bio-Filters. It prevented unwelcome visitors from making an unannounced entry, provided they somehow found a way around the high gate outside. While Area 51 was not as secretive or shut off as it had been when humans had controlled it, there was still a need to regulate who entered the place. It was a government-owned business and building.
More yeerks had gathered near the entrance to watch Sedra taken away, the lobby full of their half-whispers and murmuring voices. The commander's group filed through one of the Bio-Filters without pause, leading Sedra to the double doors leading outside. They were met with a wave of mid-summer heat that immediately sucked away the cold, air-conditioned air from inside Area 51. A bead of warm sweat tickled between Sedra's shoulder blades, and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of the metal handcuffs rubbing against her wrists.
The commander climbed into one of the black SUVs, slamming the door close after himself. Sedra was led to the same car and shoved inside. The rest of the seats were filled with the heavy bodies of the black-banded Hork-Bajir guard, not bothering to buckle themselves in. Sedra herself was struggling with the seat belt--it was harder to manipulate it with her hands hand-cuffed--as the SUV roared to life and began to pull out of Area 51's courtyard. Once she was finally buckled, she leaned back in her seat with a stifled sigh. The desert scenery flashed across the window to her side, and she turned her head to watch it. Kosk was seated in the seat across from her, and she felt his eyes on her.
<<How much do you think they know?>> Catherine asked, her manner subdued. Sedra continued staring out the window, her lips pressed into a distant frown. Her host's concern was light, and it only took a second for Sedra to dig deeper, sink lower into the cracks of her mind to know what she was really thinking. It was, of course, nothing positive towards Sedra. The part of Catherine that abhorred Sedra--that wanted the yeerk in her head starved and dead--was rejoicing silently. But it was a future uncertain, and with Sedra gone, Catherine would be further away from being freed than before. The arrest meant the possibility of a new infestation. There was even a chance that the Council might decide to dispose of Sedra's host and the offending memories along with it. That was, if they were able to prove whatever they were accusing her of.
<<I don't know. Maybe everything. Maybe nothing,>> Sedra responded simply. It had always been easier, as a Sub-Visser, to cover her tracks. Far easier than a yeerk of a lower rank. The higher-ups tended to turn a blind-eye on most occasions, especially for lesser crimes like killing those of lower rank. It was the natural chain of life, wasn't it? Eat or be eaten, survival of the ruthless. It tended to weed out the weaker subordinates, even if it was generally 'frowned upon' by others.
Other crimes were less forgivable. Illegal activities, like forming intimate relationships with other yeerks. Acting on those relationships. Producing unauthorized host offspring. Sympathizing with a host species. The very nature of the Yeerk Empire usually helped discourage others from doing such things. Neighbors spied on neighbors who spied on neighbors. Everyone searched desperately for some way to lift themselves into the higher ranks, and did their best to cut down competition. Even if Sedra was as careful as she could possibly be, there was always someone out looking for a crack to exploit.
Riding quietly in the car, a strong sense of unease began to rise in Sedra. There wasn't any telling how this would end up, but she would keep her head up as long as she could.
***
Pt.2
A crowd of controllers had already gathered at the entrance to the Luxor casino when the four cars showed up. The tinted windows hid the occupants of the cars, but word had spread fast about a Sub-Visser being taken in for a trial. The charges weren't anything small, either--rumors were flying that the Empire had enough evidence to prove the Sub-Visser was connected with some major, treasonous crimes. The immense pyramid of the Luxor casino had been cleared out specifically for the occasion, which in itself had gathered a crowd of curious on-lookers and bored gamblers. At least, that was what Kosk had told Sedra. Agents from the Empire had been agitating these rumors, spreading key tidbits of information that would entice a crowd to gather. This whole thing was made out to be very public.
Kosk957, commander of the Empire's black-banded Hork-Bajir, folded his hands together and regarded Sedra sitting in the car seat across from him. He looked comfortable in his leather seat. "The inspector of your case has been given two days to gather what's required for the trial. You're given the same amount of time. During this time, you'll be given accommodation in one of the Luxor room suites, under surveillance of course, to prepare your defense."
Sedra met the commander's gaze, her dark blue eyes smoldering. The metal handcuffs bit into her flesh, and she ached to rub her sore wrists. "Accommodation? You mean to imprison me. I cannot prepare anything if I'm not told exactly what I'm being charged with, commander."
Kosk's scarred mouth twisted into a tight smile. Outside the tinted windows, the Hork-Bajir guard were clearing a pathway to the entrance of the casino. "If you're not guilty, it shouldn't be a problem." Sedra's eyes flashed at the statement, outrage swelling in her chest. One of the Hork-Bajir advanced to the SUV's window, knocking his wrist blade lightly against the glass. The commander perked up, leather creaking as he leaned forward in his seat. "Ahh, seems we're cleared to go." The door was opened, and immediately the desert heat seeped inside. Kosk slipped out of the car, waiting for one of the Hork-Bajir to pull Sedra out after him.
Exiting the SUV, Sedra stood straight, blinking in the bright afternoon light. The crowd of controllers was larger than she had expected, curving down the sidewalk and out of view. The ones nearest the cars all craned their necks and stood on their toes, anxious to see the Sub-Visser in handcuffs. Above them all loomed the callous stone replica of the Sphinx, the entrance nestled between its massive arms. The sphinx itself was shadowed only by the black glass pyramid behind it, the light on its tip rumored to reach all the way into space. It was a flashy place to pick, but none too surprising to her.
Sedra was led between the lines of controllers, both arms ensnared in the clumsy talons of two black-banded Hork-Bajir. The controllers didn't speak loudly, but their gazes burned on her and she could hear their whispering. It was fascinating for them to watch someone of a higher rank brought down low. They were excited to see someone brought to trial, eagerly anticipating the worst. Sedra didn't know if the sentiment was more human or yeerk.
There were two human controllers standing at the entrance, leisurely blocking it. One was a man, shouldering a device that looked similar to a human camera and dressed in shorts. The other was a vaguely familiar woman, dressed in an onyx black suit with a small microphone clipped to her lapel. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, strands of it stuck to the sides of her face with sweat. There was a wide smile pasted on her mouth as she approached the commander, her face looking over-powdered with make-up.
"Commander Kosk957! We've been waiting," The woman said fluidly, eyes darting from Kosk to Sedra and back. Kosk gave her a curt nod, smiling. The man next to the woman shrugged the camera uncomfortably, his free hand dancing across switches. As he did, the woman moved shoulder to shoulder with Kosk, straightening her suit. Sedra was trying not to stare at her, getting the sense that she knew the woman from somewhere. Not in any personal way, but in the way someone would recognize a celebrity. It was Catherine who finally touched on it.
<<She's Laurie Blanco. She was a local news anchor for Vegas before the invasion. I've seen her before many times.>> The memories surfacing were from her host--memories of early mornings spent getting ready for school, the low hum of the news coming from the downstairs TV. <<I didn't realize yeerks still did much news casting. Poor Laurie.>>
<<It wasn't needed before. Our civilization wasn't so expansive before Earth.>> Sedra answered. A blinding light from the camera flashed on, directed in their faces. The controller holding it shifted his weight, bending his knees and fiddling with more switches. A smaller, cherry-red light began to flicker on and off. Then, with two fingers, the man signaled the yeerk controlling Laurie. The cherry light steadied, and the anchorwoman stiffened. Another signal from the camera man, and she started speaking.
"This is an Empire approved broadcast, granted to us by the Council of Thirteen and brought to you by me, Gadda461." She gestured towards Kosk standing next to her. "Next to me Commander Kosk957, valued associate of the Empire and Council. He has brought into custody a suspected Empire traitor." The hand gestured towards Sedra. "The suspected traitor's designation is Sub-Visser 42, pool name Sedra 149." Gadda turned to the commander, raising both her eyebrows questioningly. "Commander, enlighten us. What information do you have?"
The commander's hand slipped to Sedra's back, resting lightly on the heated nape of her neck. He drew her forward slightly and Sedra tensed, her jaw clenching. Within the black reflected eye of the camera, Sedra could barely make out her own reflection. The curls of her hair were loose, stuck to the sides of her face in some places. The usual hardened appearance of her face was softened, worn.
"As you see, she's been taken into custody. The Sub-Visser was given fair warning of the arrest, as well as alerted of her charges. There was still a cowardly attempt at escape, where she pulled a dracon beam on one of my guards. Her eventual arrest was met with a struggle--"
Gadda cut in immediately, jumping at the opportunity. "Clearly the markings of the guilty, commander." Sedra stared forward numbly, ire seeping into every limb and bone. The commander's blatant lying was a low blow, but he knew he was safe. It strengthened the image of her guilt. None of the controllers standing behind her had the ears to hear any sort of protest from her. She was the one in handcuffs. "What charges have been brought against her?"
The commander eyed the news anchor, before answering. "The trial is taking place publicly in the Luxor casino, in two days time. Her crimes range from petty insubordination to hefty accusations of high treason." The commander paused, as if he was finished. Gadda leaned sideways towards him, her host's eyes focused on him.
"How high are these charges, commander? Surely you know...?" The last sentence trailed off as an inquiry, as if she questioned how much information he'd actually been privy too. The commander seemed to take the bait, continuing hesitantly.
"Ah, yes. Most notably among those charges, the recent destruction of a major yeerk city, Dallas. A retroactive charge, based on new evidence, of the destruction of Hoover Dam. Many others." Both charges caught Sedra off-guard. Her expression shifted, revealing her confusion. What were they talking about? She had never even been to Dallas, much less planned it's destruction. The place had never held any interest to her whatsoever. And Hoover Dam? She'd been the only controller competent enough to almost stop it's destruction. She'd taken it upon herself, as her loyal duty to the Yeerk Empire, to stop the Animorphs. This was absurd.
Barely able to contain herself, Sedra glared at Kosk. "Commander--"
Gadda interrupted her, "The Empire is fortunate to have apprehended this traitor. A major success, commander." Every word she spoke was full of confidence, as if Sedra's guilt was already proven. It was becoming more and more clear to her that the trial might just be for show. The commander nodded in agreeance with Gadda.
The yeerk anchorwoman turned back towards the camera, flashing a white-toothed grin. "We've been informed a specially selected list of approved controllers have been invited to witness the trial personally. However, I will be bringing you, loyal subjects of the Empire, information as I'm given. Thank you for watching, this was Gadda461 in an Empire approved broadcast." Gadda held her camera-slick pose until the light finally flashed off, and the red light on the camera faded. Her body relaxed, and she turned happily to the commander. "Good will, Kosk. I hope the trial goes favorably." Her gaze flashed to Sedra, malicious. "And good luck to you, Sub-Visser."
Sedra bristled, her lip curled into a snarl. The desire to tear that smug grin off that controller woman's face was strong, and the muscles of her arms twitched. Then the commander grabbed her, drawing her towards the waiting entrance of the Luxor. She was forced to follow. The interior of the casino was blessedly cold compared to the outside, constantly churning out an air-conditioned breeze from somewhere. The sweat across her face and neck dried, feeling cool on her skin.
As the group moved inside, the aroma of chlorinated water and stale cigarette smoke enveloped them. The entire entrance was lined with bright white lights, reflecting against the slick, shiny marble floor. Above, the ceiling of the casino tiered up and away to the very top of the Luxor. Each level was a floor of hotel rooms, overlooking the hollow inside of the pyramid. The entrance of the casino branched into three directions, two to the side and one path to the front. The path ahead of them was flanked on each sides by small, decorative pools, bubbling and frothing serenely. Rising over both pools were three palm trees, giving off the dull scent of dirt and leaves. They stood tall and firm above matching miniature sphinx statues, perched regally on stone boxes. Seated on either side of the arch leading into the casino's main floor were two larger sculptures, imposing ancient pharaohs sitting upon their thrones.
The usual clamor of quarters hitting trays and slot machines running was gone. The controllers who gambled here had been cleared out for the trial, leaving the floor eerily quiet. The commander led them beneath the arch, past empty slot machine seats to an elevator. It took them to the higher floors, where Sedra was shown to one of the hotel suites. The room was decorated in the same Egyptian motif recurring throughout the entire casino, complete with a hieroglyph slab painting hanging above the exotic design of the bedspread.
Sedra stood near the doorway, wrists still bound together in handcuffs, facing Kosk. The commander motioned a couple Hork-Bajir behind him, giving them space to move into the room. He met her gaze fleetingly, then turned away and shut the door with a click. One of the Hork-Bajir took his place in front of the door, a tight fit for his ample bulk.
Sedra took heavy steps over to the bed, climbing onto its soft surface and resting her back against the headboard. Bunching her legs up against her chest, she leaned forward to lay her forehead against her knees. Despite its size, the room felt claustrophobic with two Hork-Bajir watching over her. It was going to be a long couple days.
