Prologue: Origins

[Kit Cloudkicker]

Kasey sighs, "It would be easier for my double, wouldn't it? If I were to more or less allow them to take over. That way we wouldn't need to worry about making sure our stories are the same...I suppose I'd be more useful as well, if I were to be available for more of the day." Her voice slows during the last sentence, and her face screws up.

She clenches her jaw, and looks from Jenny, to Alice, to the other Chee. "I need to speak to one of you, or all of you privately. Now." She stands up, and strides out of the room, looking for the first open door.

[Seryna]

"No, not really..." Jenny said. "After all, there are other things they could be doing as well. And the double can utilize high tech tracking to instill the two of you are never in the same place. It is of course, you're choice. Simply inform us of your decision."

Jenny looked startled at Kasey's proclamation, frowning some what. The men informed her that they had to get to their duties and departed.

Jenny followed after Kasey, looking slightly put off.

[Kit Cloudkicker]

Kasey waits until Jenny enters the room then she slams the door shut; turning on her heel, she looks Jenny in the eye. "What the hell is going on here?" she very nearly snarls. "Something's not right. You people have all of this crazy technology. You have the ability to have people act as our clones, to step in and live our lives for us. You gave us the ability to change into freaking animals, yet it seems like none of you are able to do it yourselves, with the exception of Alice. You have a 'top secret' headquarters, where you hoard dogs? This isn't normal. I refuse to believe that you're just some average group of citizens, working as, as, counter-terrorists, or whatever, trying to stop an alien invasion. I want to know what is going on, and I want to know the truth, now, or I will leave, and I will find whoever it is that your group is fighting against, and I will tell everything." She places her hand on the doorknob and glares at Jenny, her face turning an angry shade of red, waiting for a response.

[Seryna]

"I'm sorry. You seem to have misunderstood something." Jenny said patiently, not put off by Kasey's anger.

"I am your Liaison purely because of my association and success with Alice.  Surely you have witnessed that I am not in charge here.  Due to your friends reactions and the loss of the Andalite's Gift, my position as your Liaison is in jeopardy.

Flying into rages and behaving as adolescents will impress no one.  It is very likely that if you continue on this tack, you will alienate my superiors moreso than you already have.  I encourage you to reconsider.

You do have the fate of your race in your hands, and it was given because Alice vouched that you were mature enough to handle what we told you."

Jenny looked at Kasey saddened.
"Perhaps it was a mistake to entrust you with so much, so soon.  Please ask Alice to attend me. We have much to discuss.

You and your friends may leave, if you wish it, as has been the case since your arrival."

Jenny's shoulders slumped somewhat as she turned away from Kasey.

On Cheenet, Alice received a message from the Chee with the guise of Jenny.
'Alice, there has been a development. The human Kasey seems to be upset.  She has said 'I want to know what is going on, and I want to know the truth, now, or I will leave, and I will find whoever it is that your group is fighting against, and I will tell everything.'  Please attend me, we have much to discuss.'

[Kit Cloudkicker]

Kasey stares at Jenny, she responds sarcastically "Why in the world would you think I'm angry? You people have turned my world upside down in 12 hours. You're obviously lying to us, and I want to know why, or I leave. No more of this secrecy bull****. You're soon going to know every last aspect of my life, yet you're not telling us who, or what, the hell you people even are. I'm not letting you control my life without knowing why I'm letting you do it." Her voice lowers towards the end, her face beginning to return to it's normal shade as she gets her temper in check.

She continues, softly, "Jenny, I have nothing against you. I obviously trust you, and I obviously need you. I'm not angry with you. I just want to know what is going on. How is your group any better than the Yeerks, if you drag us into your fight, yet don't trust us enough to even tell us who you are." Kasey slumps to the floor, leaning against the wall, and hugs her knees to her chest. She stares silently up at Jenny.

[Seryna]

"I have done nothing to you, Kasey. The Yeerk invasion has. I do apologize for your hardships, but I am unable to do any more than I have already offered.

You have not even made the decision on your doubles, continually trying to put the decision off on me. I apologize, but I am uncomfortable making that decision for you. You must decide for yourself, as must your other friends.
If you wish to use the doubles, they will arrive in this room momentarily.  I apologize, but I must speak with Alice. If you refuse to do your duty alongside her, than we are fa worse than I thought.  Excuse me."

Jenny exited the room and walked to one of the side rooms, contacting Alice to meet her immediately in that room, RIGHT NOW.

[Breekan1]

When Jenny enters Reece begins to stand, forehead wrinkled in concern. He sits right back down as soon as she enters into the other room. He glances through the door to Kasey. "Is everything alright?" he asks.

[Kit Cloudkicker]

Kasey remains slumped against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. She shakes her head slowly, and looks up at Reece. "They're not telling us the truth." she responds in dull voice, "They're keeping something from us. None of this makes sense. I'm not letting them have this much control over my life without getting some answers first."

[FuBar]

Alice:

Upon receiving "Jenny's" request to have a private word, I cause my holographic cell-phone to ring, then excuse myself to a side-room to take the 'call' in private. My intention was to 'talk' with 'Jenny' over Chee-net without anyone distracting me or noticing that I wasn't paying much attention to the room's occupants, but the side-room I chose just happened to be the same one 'Jenny' entered shortly thereafter. She would find me already inside, leaning casually on the windowsill with holographic cell-phone held to my ear in case one of the humans was looking.

I didn't notice any surprise in her expression upon seeing me already in the room, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she wasn't surprised, it's just that her body-language had other things to say that were more important than whether or not she was surprised to see me apparently waiting for her.

Inside a safe-house like this, most Chee dial-down their extra-human sensors to help conserve power. After all, the security system built into the house itself would warn of any impending incursion by a known hostile.

When the door closed and we were definitely alone, I let the holographic cell-phone disappear and straightened my posture as I faced her.

"So... Kasey's about to pop, eh?" I said in friendly greeting, hoping to retain a neutral atmosphere.

[Breekan1]

Reece strolls closer to Kasey. "We're definitely getting kind of jerked around here, but... Well, what real alternative do we have, you know? It's either them or the Yeerks." Reece pauses. "I suppose we could go it alone, but..."

[Seryna]

Jenny communicates entirely by chee - net, giving no notice that she cared that Alice was the first in the room. Jenny drops her hologram, moving to stand her massive bulk in front of the door to eliminate any one trying to enter.

I grow concerned, Alice.  You said that these humans were mature enough to handle what we told them.  Yet instead of processing what they have been told, I think they want the entire truth from us.  I am not allowed to tell it,

Jenny's muzzle moved downward, signaling that Jenny wasn't pleased with that order.
- however, its possible that the humans have... found... and item that will tell them what they need to know.  I suspect that their allegiance may turn against you if they feel you side with our superiors decision to mask the truth from them.

I strongly suggest that you assist them to read the disk they've 'found' on one of your sensors.  It'd be best if... the other Chee ... don't know about this. Its likely that they're all but decided to remove me as Liaison and put me to use where I'll no longer be able to see you or the humans as freely as I would like.

If they wish to utilize the doubles, I've chosen two who are en route to the humans now. If not, its no concern of ours.  That's all I wished to say, you're free to go if you don't have any questions.
 


With Reece and Kasey, two young adults- a male and female- walked out. "We're not sure if you want us or not," The young woman said hesitantly.
"- but I'm Jayden and this is Kevin.  We volunteered to act as you when we heard you might be targetted for infestation."

[Kit Cloudkicker]

Kasey bites her lip, then responds to Reece, "We could, Reece." She nods her head slowly. "Maybe we need to be away from these loons. Maybe we need time to sort it out for ourse--" she pauses mid-word when Jayden and Kevin enter the room. She stares at them, and shrugs. "I don't know, right now."

She sighs, and rubs her eyes. "Reece?"

[Breekan1]

"--It can't hurt, right?" he drops his voice to a low whisper. "Maybe a show of confidence will get them to trust us more. Flies, honey, etc..." Reece lights back up and smiles at Kevin and Jayden. He shakes their hands. "Name's Reece, pleased to meet you."

[Seryna]

"Hey Reece," Kevin moved closer, sitting informally on the couch. He reached out and snagged some bacon off the breakfast tray, observing "-you guys aren't going to eat all this, right."
Jayden rolled her eyes and sat down on the floor beside the couch.

"Jenny probably did a crappy job explaining- the old battle axes are on her butt today. Basically, we need to talk to you awhile, learning what you like and what you don't like. We'll be acting as you when you are 'infested' and will resume that when its time for your Yeerk to go to the Pool for Kandrona.

Jenny hasn't said anything to us about what you decided."

[FuBar]

I raised a holographic-eyebrow when Jenny dropped her hologram; She didn't normally do that unless she was either upset or she wanted to encrypt something private over Chee-net that the other Chee would not automatically be able to access. Such private conversations were rare but not thought abnormal, and the others would respect this privacy unless they had a good reason to decrypt it, which would be an easy task of course.

On this occasion, it seemed both reasons were present.

Following her example, I also dropped my hologram. My real cellphone was visible, clipped in a holder at my side in a position that matched that of my holographic pocket, but other than that I was all-Chee.

She explained her concerns and her orders regarding them to me, then hinted at something that surprised me: She'd found a way to circumvent her orders without directly disobeying them, but apparently needed my assistance for her idea to work. I was curious what might be on this 'disk' and hoped it wouldn't give out details that would betray my pretense at being a morph-capable human like themselves...

[What information have you put on this disk, exactly? Anything that might blow my own cover?] I asked back over the same encrypted Chee-net channel she had used.