Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 23:20:37 +0800 From: Leo Huang <dylan@celticwarrior.com> Subject: Tales of a Superhero Band Chapter 23 With thanks to Jordi, Aeoros, Rune and Mikey for being the coolest friends on the net! Thanks for being there guys! Especially dedicated to Justin, Jeremy and Louis. The three of you have inspired more new parts of this story. Quidditch and lightsabers forever, brothers! :D ALSO NOTE: I've been in National Service (fancy term for "slave of the government") since Sept 17th, and I've gotten a few ideas down, but updates will be coming slowly. Bear with me, things will be back to normal (roughly) around December 15 or so! :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: This story is fictional, and says nothing about the orientations of any member of the boyband N Sync, or any other character, celebrity or otherwise. If you are under 18 or 21, or live in a country where it's illegal to read something like this, leave, though I seriously doubt you will. If you don't like the idea of two guys in a relationship with each other, or having sex with each other, what are you doing here in the first place? Though maybe none of the characters will be appearing, ideas taken from these places will show up: Star Wars, Copyright LucasFilms, Created by George Lucas Buffy, Copyright 20th Century Fox, Created by Joss Whedon X-Men, Copyright Marvel Comics, Created by Stan Lee Charmed, Copyright WB, Created by Aaron Spelling Animorphs, Copyright Scholastic, Created by K.A. Applegate Harry Potter, Copyright JK Rowling (due to James' addition of Harry Potter to his Dark Knight series, I find myself adding it in too, but the character may never appear in the story. However, loving Quidditch as much as I do... :D ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 23 - The Yeerk Pool It had been three days since we had captured Ian. The other controllers had looked for him, but Dean's illusions and Khan's wards kept them away from our hidden base. The yeerk had finally starved and left Ian's body to die, freeing our friend. Everything the yeerk knew, Ian now knew too, just like Eddie and Keong. But whatever they knew, they chose not to share, the unspoken horros still clinging in their minds. Jumadi scanned their minds, and after blocking some of the memories off at their request, he refused to say what he saw. Needless to say, he was less cheerful for the next few days as well. Wei and Khan had been working with Ian, Eddie and Keong to formulate a plan to infiltrate the yeerk pool, while Dean and Tobias kept watch over the base. Tobias was the hawk from the group that called themselves the Animorphs. Ian was surprised that they were human, except for Aximili (Ax for short) who was really an Andalite, a species of alien with shapeshifting technology. His brother had passed that technology to five human kids, Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, Marco and Jake, their leader. Using that technology, they had "acquired" the DNA of several animals to fight against the yeerks. They had a two-hour time limit on their morph forms, and if they stayed in morph longer than that, they would become trapped in that form, just like Tobias, trapped as a hawk. He had managed to somehow regain his power to morph to his human form, and other forms, but now if he stayed in his human form for over the time limit, he'd be stuck again. The plan was simple, but the problems were great. The Animorphs wanted to sneak into the yeerk pool, but we wanted to storm it outright. Wei and Khan were both convinced we could handle everything thrown our way. The Animorphs, having been in the yeerk pool countless times, didn't agree. The arguments went back and forth until finally the Animorphs called their friend Erek, an andriod, a member of the andriod race known as the Chee. Erek had given complete details about guards, layouts and grids with his hologram projector field. After much discussion, and to the Animorphs dismay, it was decided we would just storm the place. Ian mentioned an entrance that was actually not too far from this area, and not well guarded since this was a bad area of town, and we agreed to try it out. Later that day, we made our way to the run-down cinema Ian pointed out, snuck in with Dean's invisibility skills, and slipped through a hidden entrance at one of the walls. We waited for the Animorphs to morph to their battle forms (Jake as a tiger, Cassie as a wolf, Rachel as a grizzly, and Marco as a gorilla), which was not a pretty sight. Eddie and I glanced at each other, knowing what the other was thinking: they went against nature with their morphing. It was different from our shapeshifting where we drew our powers from the spirit of the animal itself, not from the earthly creature. We didn't become a specific animal, we became ourselves if we had been that animal. But the Animorphs became the animal they had acquired, effectively cloning the creature. But, like with wizard magic, Eddie and I held our tongues. We knew we needed their help. <Let's do it,> Rachel said telepathically. They called it thought-speak, an Andalite gift that had come naturally to them when they morphed. It made Jumadi upset, for some reason, but he hid it well. We rushed into the large underground cavern that housed the yeerk pool. I was amazed to find a McDonalds outlet as I ran past, with a few patrons eating and laughing, until they saw us. <They're voluntary controllers,> Eddie said. <They're the only ones that are free, the rest will be in cages at the back.> <You know this yeerk pool well,> Jake commented. <I was a controller once,> Eddie said. <I've used this pool before.> The voluntary controllers were shouting their heads off, calling for the guards. The people in cages were crying out for help, for release. I couldn't bear to see them there. <Wei, Dean, Jumadi! The three of you go get those people free!> <We're on it, boss,> Dean said comically. <What the hell are you doing?> Jake screamed in my head. <We need them!> <They need them more,> Ian replied, pointing at the people in the cages. <We can make do.> Two large brownish creatures rushed out at us. They had enough blades on their heads, arms, legs, elbows and knees to skin a deer alive in two seconds flat. And they were carrying freaking large dracon beams. TSSEEEEEEEEWW! The dracon beam blasted towards us at top speed. I whipped out my lightsaber and deflected it to one side. <Hork-bajir!> someone cried, and I couldn't tell who. More of the hork-bajir began rushing from all around the pool, some with guns and some with dracon beams. At a glance, I could see Wei, Jumadi and Dean fighting some weird centipede-like creatures with large jelly-like red eyes that Ian had identified as taxxons. The creatures were viciously trying to bite at my friends, and all the trapped humans were staying far away from them. Dean put an illusion of a giant burger on one of the taxxons, and I watched with horror as the others, distracted by the sight of food, instantly began to devour their friend. Total confusion reined in the yeerk pool. I remember Ivan attacking me in his raptor form, and me phasing the yeerk out of his head. Together, we began fighting our way through hordes of controllers. Wei followed my example, reminding me of a time when I was not led by Reuben, but used to lead the Braves. He had managed to free the controlled Braves, and now they were fighting as well, turning the tide in our favour. Ian was flinging controllers out of the way, and deflecting dracon beams with a wave of his hand as he tried to get people out of their cages. Terry, also in his dinosaur morph (a stegoceres, one of the thick-skulled ones that ram into things with their heads), was busy attempting to smash the thick bars that held the hork-bajir prisoners while Rudy protected him with psychic blasts. A few controllers were surrounded with glowing globes that cut them off from the world around them, freezing them out of time and space. Malek's work. Another Brave, Shawn, was standing back, blasting water all over the place with the force of a fire hose, knocking controllers out of the way, and making it harder for them to fight on the slippery ground. Dennis had just been freed by Qhairul, and the rabbit/wolf team dynamic duo was making a comeback, Qhairul slashing and biting at opponents in full wolf form, while Dennis used his amazing speed and leg strength to dodge and kick opponents in his way. I could hear a few bones cracking as he double-kicked a guy in the chest. Khan was busy throwing plasma bolts at any opponent with a dracon beam, fighting fire with fire, while Zailani protected him from close up. Zailani, like Qhairul, was similar to a were-creature, but his form was a cat, and standing at full human height, with humanoid-cat features, he had both the quick feline reflexes and the human size and power to add on. The animorphs were easily holding their own as well, though they had as many injuries as us. Things were going our way. I could almost feel victory. Then Jake shouted, <Visser Three!> An aura of doom seemed to descend upon the room, and I could feel dread strike my heart. <Fury's work,> Jumadi warned us. <Attempting psychic battle with him.> <Eddie, who's Visser Three?> I yelled. Eddie's reply was quick and curt. <He's one of the leaders of the yeerks, third highest in hierarchy. And he's the only yeerk with morph-techonology.> The controllers that had been backing away from us now attacked again with new intensity, their eyes displaying fear of their leader. The Visser stalked towards us in full andalite form, darkness seeming to flow from him. Aximili, the andalite that fought alongside the animorphs, rushed forward also in andalite form. Whatever the two said before battle reamins a secret since they blocked off their words from us, but battle they did, their bladed tails striking and parrying faster than the eye could see. But what held my attention was the appearance of the haughty looking young man up ahead of me. "Now!" he commanded in his deep booming voice. In an instant, the cavern was filled with Chaos Mongers in their funny red and black costumes. There were many of them, much more than they used to be, and it was a hard battle. I was getting exhausted, and had to use my energy for physical attacks and defences since I was too tired to use my phasing powers. They drained me more than physical fighting itself. We must have fought for what seemed like hours. The Chaos Mongers may have had more numbers, but we had more spirit, and were slowly pushing them back. "Enough!" Juffrey commanded from the side. He had not taken part in any battles. He motioned with his hand, and the remaining conscious Chaos Mongers fled through the tunnel behind him, Juffrey following close behind. "Don't let them get away!" Ian shouted, following behind them. The other Braves followed suit. Juffrey turned and flung out his arms, swirls of red and purple light spiralling towards us from his psychic blast. "Oh no, you don't," Wei said, pointing his wand out. He aimed his wand at Juffrey and shot a blast of energy at him, just as Juffrey shot another psychic mind blast. The two energies collided in the centre, and began struggling for supremacy. Taking advantage of Wei's and Juffrey's battle, the other Braves rushed past through the tunnel in pursuit of the fleeing Chaos Mongers. I tried to follow, but a blast of energy hit my calf, flinging me to the ground. Yeerks were pouring in behind us, shooting their dracon beams. Eddie and Keong turned to see me fall, and Eddie rendered the yeerk weapons useless with his powers. Without their weapons to hit us from long range, they refused to approach any closer, watching the battle intensely. Wei had beads of sweat pouring from his face, and Juffrey was similarly taxed, his face contorted from intense concentration. But he held the upper hand, his energy beam slowly pushing Wei's back. "No," Wei gasped, focusing more power on the beam, pushing Juffrey's attack back past the centre point of their attack, and closer towards him. His face twisted into a snarl as he began to push Juffrey's attack back with greater ease. Too much ease, I worried. Juffrey's face broadened into a smug smile. Dodging quickly to the left, he let Wei's blast hit the wall of the curving cavern, and he released his own blast at the ceiling above us, then blasted Wei again. But Wei managed to block him in time, stuck once again in the concentrating game. Then we heard the crack. Eddie, Keong and I looked above us to see a large chunk of the ceiling beginning to crack. Wei slowly turned around, his eyes widening. "No, go for Juffrey!" I shouted at Wei, trying to muster strength to phase Eddie, Keong and myself. Wei could tell by my face that it was a useless effort. He whipped around quickly and shouted something, blasting the rock as it fell, and knocking it backwards, bashing into the crowds of controllers who didn't get away in time. But Juffrey had moved just as quickly as Wei, and as the rock bounced down the cavern, Juffrey had blasted Wei with a beam of eerie green light, engulfing the wizard. Wei screamed in agony, clutching his head, and I realised I had tears in my eyes. The light faded abruptly, and Wei collapsed to the floor. Juffrey sneered. "Until we meet again." Then he teleported out, a power I never knew he had. Keong immediately rushed to his cousin's side, shouting in Chinese. Wei just turned and gave him a blank stare. "Wei, are you all right?" I asked, looking him deep in his eyes. There was no reply, and then I quickly understood why. Wei's eyes, normally sparkling with wit and intelligence, seemed empty. Juffrey had wiped Wei's mind. The cleverest of all the Braves, and now his mind was wiped clean. Eddie knelt down beside me, tears streaming down his face. "No..." Keong just stood there, his fists clenched, his eyes red from holding back tears, biting his lips. His eyes seemed to almost glow with a silent fury that I had never seen, not even when he was controlled by the yeerk. <Dylan, are you guys okay?> Jumadi asked over our psychic connection. He sounded shaken up. <Is Wei...?> <No,> I replied, standing up. <He's alive, but he might as well be dead. Juffrey wiped his mind.> <Those things are reversible,> Jumadi said, giving us a flicker of hope. <Next to impossible, but reversible. It would take a psychic or two of tremendous powers to restore Wei's mind to him. Worse comes to the worse, I could do it with the help of a lot more psychics since it would use a lot of... oh crap!> <What?> Eddie demanded. <What?!> <The portal! It's a trap!> Ivan screamed. <Everyone get out of...> Suddenly my mind reeled with a vision. The intense energies of the psychic links were transmitting what our friends were seeing to us. I could see my friends in a room rather like an office. There was a portal there, shrinking in size quickly as my friends stared in horror. And behind the vanishing portal, moving in seemingly slow motion, a large plane was headed straight for them. <NO!> I could hear my friend screaming, feeling their fear over our psychic rapport. I found myself echoing their silent cries. There was a loud BANG! and the psychic connection died. "No!" Eddie said, his eyes wide. "No no no no no!" I slumped back down to the ground again, holding Wei as I fell, unable to look in his now-empty eyes and face his blank look, a look that once oozed of confidence and intelligence, and a pride of great skill. But he was still alive, still had a chance. Not like the others. Unlikely as it was, he was the lucky one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To be continued...