David 2

Thevenin, I want you to give me back control of my body.

(No, you don't want it. At least not more than usual. Right now, you just want to stop me from listening.)

Frankly, it's completely stupid, how do you expect him to trust you if you spy on them?

They don't trust me anyway. I want to know exactly what I'm supporting. Imagine that in secret, he's preparing a new Yeerk massacre.

(Oh, that would be really awful. I would never get over it) replied Tom sarcastically.

You know I was in the pool the last time they tried to dump neurotoxins in it. If their plan hadn't failed, I would have died. Or worse, the dose would have been low enough to just turn me into a vegetable.

(You, it's not the same) Tom justified awkwardly.

I am like all the other Yeerks. One day, you will have to stop playing schizophrenic on this subject.

(Even so, don't you think it's a bit extreme to place a microphone on them? There are other ways.) He said to change the subject as usual when I brought up the issue of his persistent hatred towards the Yeerks.

I understood his origin perfectly, but it was starting to bother me. However, I knew that whatever I did, he could not change his mind as long as every 3 days he had to contemplate what my species does to his. I hoped it would gradually disappear when the war was over.

(Which ones? Wait, be quiet, something is happening)

In the microphone, I heard Jake speak with a harshness very unusual for him:

David, I presume.

I will stop it. Reasoned Cassie's voice before she got up from her seat.

What do you want? Jack resumed.

What? No chatting? Not even a hello. Asked Marco's voice.

I asked what you wanted. Jack asked again, having regained his composure.

I want the blue box. I found it, it is mine. Said Marco.

In your opinion, David, what are the chances that I will accept this?

You have no choice, my dear. You cannot fight me. I have the same powers as you. And I am more intelligent than you, so I will win.

We are 6, and you are all alone. Well, 5 now, Jack corrected himself sadly.

(What do you mean, there are only 5 left?) Tom exclaimed, who had now forgotten all his qualms about spying on his little brother.

I want the box. Marco's voice repeated obstinately.

Why? Do you want to give it as a birthday present to Visser-12? Rachel's voice mocked.

Then I heard the sound of a chair and Cassie say in an understanding voice:

David, I know you've been through a lot lately. I know you feel like your life has fallen apart. I know you're alone. I know you're scared. And I know deep down, you feel really sorry for what happened last night. But you must know that you cannot negotiate with Visser-12. He will never give you what you want.

What negotiation. What are you both talking about? Asked Rachelle. Mentally, I thanked her for asking this question.

I then heard very unpleasant chewing noises, then Cassie resumed:

Should I tell them, David? Or would you like to explain to them yourself?

For a brief moment, only the sounds of distant dining echoed.

Then Cassie explained:

David wants the box to be able to buy back his parents. Isn't that right, David? You want Visser-12 to release your parents so you can have a home again.

Then Marco's voice answered angrily:

It's not a big deal, I don't need the box. I have something else that Visser-12 wants. You see, I know that the Animorphs are not Andalite soldiers. I know their names and addresses. He can do to you what he did to my parents and get his stupid blue box from you.

After that, the conversation abruptly stopped and they pretended to be normal teenagers. I didn't say anything, but my emotions must have been so strong that Tom felt obliged to say:

Okay, you were right, it was a good idea to spy on them. What do we do now?

(For the moment, nothing.) I replied annoyed as I tried to focus on listening.

(How come nothing. Did you hear, they are in danger)

(Yes, that, I understood very well. And by the way, I am also in danger. If Visser-12 captures them, it won't be long before he discovers our role in this war. But for now, we don't have enough information to act. We have to settle for waiting and continue to snoop.)

Useless. Go see them and tell them what we know. They will explain everything to us and together we will find a plan against this David.

You haven't heard? That creature they call David has the power to morph. And maybe he has accomplices or he can duplicate himself. How do we know if we're really talking to the animorphs? And even if we could be sure, how do we know he's not spying on us? We would lose the element of surprise. We could even worsen their situation without knowing it. If they haven't told us anything, it's probably because there's a reason.

(Ha, you finally admit it.)

(I said there was a reason, not that it was a good one) I said in bad faith. However, now that I was reassured he wasn't planning something nasty, I started to feel guilty for not having trusted them more.

The next day, Jack and Tom's cousins arrived at the house because their son had just had a serious accident and was hospitalized in the nearby hospital (and according to the doctors, there was little hope that he would recover). Of course, even though we sympathized with their misfortune, this family invasion delighted none of the three of us. It complicated the management of our double lives at the worst moment and darkened the atmosphere of what was once our refuge. Fortunately, this depressing situation was short-lived. During our first visit to the hospital, the doctors announced that a miracle had just occurred. Jack and Tom's cousin had miraculously recovered and would be able to leave today.

But of course miracles did not exist. I did not need to spy on Jack to understand that the one who had left the hospital and was now living with them was not their cousin. Nevertheless, it gave me the idea for a plan. Tom and I were finally going to be able to take action.

oOoOoOoOo

The next day, I sped by car to Cassie's barn.

Quick, come help me! I shouted as I braked at the last moment to avoid hitting the barn door with Mom's car.

I opened the car door. Immediately, Hommer came out and rushed towards Cassie's barn to lick Jack's face, who had just come out alerted by my shout. Except it wasn't Hommer.

Calm down, Hommer. Ah! Naughty dog! Go fetch. Jack pushed him away while throwing a stick.

Meanwhile, Marco and Rachel came in my direction and asked me:

What is it, TOM? He pronounced slowly, emphasizing my name.

There is a problem with Thévenin, he (…)

What are you talking about, Tom? We don't know any Thévenin. Jack interrupted me with a falsely naive voice.

Stop pretending, Thévenin has solved the problem with David.

What? How do you know? Jack, did you tell her? Accused Rachel.

No, I didn't tell him anything. And what's going on with Hommer? Why is he so excited? Jack asked while pushing away his dog's slobbery assaults for the umpteenth time.

It's not Hommer, it's Thévenin.

"Pardon?" they all exclaimed.

I will explain everything to you, but he has been in morph for almost two hours and I feel like he is stuck. You have to help him. Where is Aximili?

And you think we're going to believe you, David. It's audacious to have taken Tom's appearance to trap us. Said Marco while the other three surrounded me and Aximili came out of the barn. It was the first time I saw him in his true form. In the middle of Cassie's barn, he seemed unreal. Despite the blade of his tail dangerously cutting my neck, he exuded an aura of kindness. You could almost say he wasn't of the same species as the host of Visser-12.

Damn, think about it. David is unaware of Thévenin's existence. You didn't actually tell him, did you? I replied, exasperated.

No. But Tom isn't supposed to know David either, retorted Marco.

Tell us something that only Thévenin knows. Or that only Tom knows. Ordered Cassie.

We don't have time for this nonsense. I exclaimed.

So hurry up and answer. Ordered Jack.

Well, I don't know. Jack wet the bed until he was six. I said, panicked, before I had time to think about what I had just said.

Nonsense. Shouted Jack, blushing.

He did it only once. Well actually twice. But the second time, it was my fault.

If I had a brother like that, I would have done it until I was 8 years old. Marco declared to lighten the mood.

Are you going to help him now? I asked impatiently.

Axe? Asked Jack.

I'm trying to talk to him telepathically, but he's not responding. Are you sure it's really Thévenin and not a real dog?

Yes. Well, I think so. I said, starting to panic at the thought of having taken Homer by mistake.

The dog has an instinct that is very hard to resist. Thevenin must have just lost control of the transformation. Said Marco.

<Axe keeps trying to talk to him> Ordered Jack as he started to transform into a clone of Homer in turn.

Once Jack had finished transforming, Thévenin/Hommer stopped running around and turned around abruptly. Then he made plaintive noises towards this new dog identical to him in every way.

To my great relief, after a while, Thévenin/Hommer deformed in an extremely disgusting way. Little by little, he took the form of a completely naked David. Immediately, Aximili placed the blade of his tail under his throat while the girls hesitated between looking away or getting into a combat position.

Calm down. He is Thévenin's host now. He won't harm you. I shouted, throwing him my shirt (it was large enough to fall to his knees). He put it on after pushing away Aximili's blade from his throat with a disdainful gesture.

How did Thévenin do that? Asked Marco.

He put what was left of the GHB into a glass of orange juice. David had no reason to be suspicious of Thévenin. Or rather, of me. So he drank it in one go when mom brought it to him.

What is this GHB story? Rachel asked suspiciously.

You didn't tell them anything? I asked Jack, who had returned to human form.

I didn't give them that kind of detail. Besides, next time bring that up instead. Jack replied.

Sorry. I panicked and that's the first thing that came to my mind.

It's okay, it's not a big deal. And how did you find out about David?

I adopted an awkward attitude. Fortunately, Thevenin had recovered from his transformation and replied on his own:

I placed a Yeerk micro on you.

WHAT!? Jack shouted

On the second button of your morph suit. I was fed up with your secrecy.

Immediately, Jack tore off the button and crushed it with his foot.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Jack accused me.

Well, to be honest, I was a little curious too.

Marco comments:

I suggest we officially integrate them into the team. Only real animorphs would embark on such a crazy plan, commented Marco.

But that did not make Jack laugh, who shouted:

I trusted you. And you too, Thévenin.

I lowered my eyes in shame, but Thévenin shouted in turn:

So much so that it didn't even occur to you to ask me for help when he started trying to kill you. I spoke to the Yeerk who found you in the mall yesterday, to make sure he would keep his mouth shut. You came within an inch of dying. It didn't occur to you that it might be useful to have the opinion of the only person here who has already fought Andalites.

We would have managed on our own. We were handling the situation. Jack replied.

You're screwing with me. He killed Tobias and you were about to give him the blue box. Do you realize the consequences? I read his mind. Sooner or later he would have given it to Visser-12 in exchange for his parents' lives. Thévenin shouted.

No. Tobias is alive. David killed a normal falcon thinking it was Tobias. And they would never have given him the blue box. We thought he wouldwas spying so we pretended to want to collaborate. It was part of our plan. Marco intervened.

In fact, he was indeed spying on you at that moment, Thévenin informed them.

The little rattlesnake. Insisted Rachel. Then she added:

I'm sorry for not trusting you. We should have asked you for help.

This statement surprised everyone, so she added:

What? Aren't you relieved that he took care of David? It's still better than what we had planned. Besides, what are we going to do with him?

Immediately, Thevenin declared:

It seems obvious to me. You will give the morphing power to Tom and I will keep David as a host. That way, we can both participate in your missions.

Aximili intervened by thought:

It is out of the question, Yeerk. Giving this technology to humans to fight the Yeerks is barely acceptable, but giving it to a Yeerk is unthinkable.

You agreed to give it to a human child you barely knew, and you are going to refuse me. Thévenin protested.

I agree with Thevenin. We do need two new members. And he has proven that we can trust him. And anyway, if he betrays us, Visser-12 will already have 6 hosts with the power to morph. One more or less. Supported Jack.

Prince Jack, whatever your reasons may be, if my people learn that you have given morphing technology to a Yeerk, they will consider you an enemy. And I will never see my parents again. I would have to live alone on Earth for the rest of my days.

Oh, how sad. As far as I'm concerned, the Andalites are already our enemies. Exclaimed Thévenin.

But this considerably cooled down the others. I then argued:

You are not going to give the power of Morph to Thévenin, but to me.

<I am sorry, but giving the morph to a voluntary host or to a Yeerk is the same thing> Aximili sent me by thought.

I am not a volunteer! I protested violently. But a single look at the embarrassed faces of the others taught me that this convinced no one. Fortunately, the past year spent being the host of Temrash114 had taught me to contain my anger.

Marco then asked Thévenin a question:

How will you manage when you have to go eat? And to pretend in front of the other Yeerks?

I would only use David as a host when I need his morphing powers. The rest of the time, he will remain locked in a cage suitable for Andalites that Jera456 will provide me. In the meantime, I will drug him to make sure he doesn't escape while I am in Tom's body.

Even I shuddered upon hearing that. It was quite a horrible fate.

It's temporary. Once the war is over, he will be released. Thévenin added.

Marco, who seemed the least sensitive to David's fate, spoke again:

I propose a compromise. We do not give the morphing power to Tom, but we let him use David as a host during our missions. Once the war is over, Thévenin will force him to become the Nothlit of a human who resembles him and then release him. Since David obtained the morphing power before becoming a host and will have lost his powers, it should be acceptable to your people.

"I don't know," declared Aximili.

What is a Nothlit asked Thévenin?

<That's what we call a being who is stuck in a transformation, because they stayed in it for more than two hours> Aximili explained through thought.

Thévenin nodded and I asked:

Before we intervened, what had you planned to do with David?

The truth is that everyone had already thought for a long time about the possible solutions. And even Aximili preferred to break Andalite laws rather than hear the screams David would make when they applied one of the few alternatives that could solve the problem posed by David. As little by little, everyone got used to the idea of accepting Marco's proposal, Thévenin thought it best to add:

For your information, David is begging you to release him. His pleas and cries are quite horrible. I would like you to decide quickly so that I can drug him and return to Tom's body.

You really needed to give us that much detail. I asked Thévenin.

Yes. Thévenin simply replied.

I began to argue with Thévenin. It felt really strange to talk to him face-to-face. When he was in my head at the same time we were talking, I saw glimpses of his emotions and he saw all of my thoughts. Between us, there was an understanding that went beyond words. When we argued or he did something horrible to play his role in front of the other yeerks, I felt his friendship and how much he deeply hated it. But now, I only saw the cold and pragmatic words of a yeerk soldier. At this moment, he reminded me of Temrash114 and it made me shiver. I began to understand why the others took so long to trust him. Why even today, he was wary of him.

Our dispute was interrupted by a new question from Marco:

Guys, you're probably going to hate me, but: is it really wise to lock him up? He could escape. How many times have we escaped from a Yeerk prison? It's not to criticize, but your specially designed Andalite prisons are real sieves.

Every time, someone from outside has rescued you. Do you really think someone is going to come save David?

No. Apart from us, he knows no one and no one knows him.

Yes, I know. I saw his memories. He really has no luck. No friends because of his father's work and now no more parents. Commented Thévenin.

Personally, I find it hard to sympathize with that little bastard. But he might find a way to escape. Marco insisted.

Alloran-Semitur-Corrass is an accomplished Andalite warrior and for several years, he has never managed to escape from Visser-12. In any case, since I can read his mind, I would know if he is preparing an escape plan, Thévenin explained patiently.

You are going to systematically read his mind. I asked horrified, wondering if I really wanted that Yeerk to go back into my brain.

I wasn't a lifeguard long enough to know that it's a vital necessity. Humans are very hard to keep prisoner. That's why we hit you so much. So imagine a human with the powers offered by Andalite technology?

Once again, this statement cast a chill. Rationally, I knew he had already said much worse when he was in my head, but emotionally, it was another story.

oOoOoOoOo

Finally, after a long debate, everyone agreed to let Thevenin use David to accompany them on the mission. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't want to give me the power to morph, but I understood the reason. Not to mention that I knew he hadn't dared to mention in front of me the fact that I spent a little too much time in the Yeerks' HQ cages for it to be safe.

Thévenin took syringes filled with a suspicious liquid out of the car trunk, which he had specially gotten from Timmy for this occasion, and then we headed to a wooden cabin located in a deserted corner of the forest. Once there, Thévenin forced David to inject the product, and he collapsed on the spot. Immediately after, a long worm began to emerge from his ear. In front of the disgusted expressions of the others (except for Cassie), I picked up the worm and brought it close to my ear. Thévenin squirmed to access my ear canal, but as soon as I felt its slimy flesh against my skin, I pulled back my hand in a reflex of fear that did not go unnoticed by Cassie. Until now, I thought Jack was exaggerating because he had a crush on her, but she is really very intelligent and observant.

Is everything okay, Tom? She asked.

Yes, everything is fine. I lied.

I tried again to bring Thévenin close to my ear, but I had a flashback to the time of Temrash114 that almost made me cry. It hadn't happened to me in a long time. Then I remembered that when Thévenin would take possession of my body again, he would probably see that I had hesitated. How would he react? Wouldn't he risk getting angry and taking away the little freedom I had? No, I could trust Thévenin. I had to trust him. This whole story was far beyond my little self. However, at that moment, the thought of entrusting my fate entirely to a Yeerk, even a friendly one, horrified me.

You don't have to do this. Jack said, placing his hand on my shoulder. We'll find another solution.

Which one? Is one of you volunteering?

As I expected, only silence answered me.

Everything is fine, really. I'm just embarrassed to have an audience. I lied once again.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and with a quick motion, I pressed Thévenin to my ear. He rushed to enter. I then felt a sharp pain in my ear and screamed. I had lost the habit of feeling this unpleasant sensation. I don't know how he managed, but usually Thévenin arranged it so that I almost felt nothing when he entered. Then I felt myself losing control of my body and everything went black around me. Without moving my mouth, I then heard my voice scream:

What's happening, we're under attack.

I then realized that Thévenin had taken cover behind an old half-ruined dresser as soon as he had gained control of my body. The others had gotten into combat mode and Jack shouted:

What did you do to him, bastard? Why did he scream?

(No, everything is fine) I said, ashamed. He must have been extremely worried, stuck in his worm form, deaf and blind, being tossed around in all directions. Immediately after, I felt Thévenin give me a mental hug.

Tom, how can you believe that I would get angry? I feel like you constantly forget that I can read your thoughts. I know how difficult it is for you. Next time, just avoid shaking me around like I'm a spaghetti and put me in a glass of water until you feel better. I'm too old for thrill rides.

(Sorry)

(You don't have to be. If you knew how grateful I am for everything you do for me, you would never doubt again)

I did nothing for you.

(While I am one of the parasites who stole your life, you loved me. You gave me hope that I could live something other than this life. How can you say you did nothing?) he declared, giving me a mental hug again. For a while, we said nothing, just savoring each other's presence.

Then we returned to the real world and to the 5 animorphs ready to attack us at the slightest wrong move. Once we reassured them, we decided that we would take turns guarding David until Jera456 provided us with a suitable cage.