Animorphs: Ressurection

[Terenia]

"No!" Reyna cries in response to Mesa. She doesn't know why she is so adverse to Mesa's outburst, but she knows that something is wrong in her analysis. She opens her eyes, then closes them again, the light still too bright to be tolerable. Straining against her shackles she can feel them change position. I'm moving, she realizes. I'm moving on my own. The Yeerks...they are supposed to have total control.

"I don't..." Reyna hesitates, but for once it isn't out of embarassment. She is far too entranced by her situation to be shy. "I don't think it's...working right. He's in my head, but I can still move. I can still talk. He's...not there. He's not present." She bites her lip nervously, knowing that she is failing to explain adequately. She tries addressing Mesa silently. I can see his memories. At least, I think they're memories. But...it's like he doesn't know I'm here. Or that he's here. He's a vegetable.

[Estelore]

Reli's attention instantly snapped to Reyna. She addressed the entire group but didn't turn a single eye away from the girl.
The Controller. I need to act fast.

<Everybody, listen to me immediately. I do not like to sow suspicion in this group, but if there is truly a Yeerk in her head, he could be controlling her already and making her say these things. Even if she is not under the Yeerk's full control, she is still morph-capable now. In the event we are unbound, she will be potentially dangerous. Whether or not my tail-blade is sheathed, even from here I can still gain enough leverage with it to knock her unconscious without doing direct harm to her; if I see her morphing at a suspicious time, this is exactly what I will do. I will rely on the two...> what do I call Lee? <Leerans in the room to notify me if the Yeerk is taking control and about to do something that it should not be allowed to do. I value the life of our human ally Reyna, and I will only ever use lethal force against her human form in the case that she asks for it.>

Arhareli struggled not to let her 'voice' shake.

<Reyna, the Yeerk won't ever be able to block the Leerans from hearing your thoughts.  My views toward the thing in your head are identical to those of every other Andalite, but if we can get him out by starving or persuading him, naturally I prefer it over harming you. However, I want you to be aware that circumstances may force me to knock you out. I hope you will understand.>

Arhareli swiveled her stalk-eyes to the rest of the group.
<As for the rest of you, except on the Leerans' own confirmation, assume automatically that anything Reyna says is in fact the Yeerk talking through her. Lee and Mesa, if Reyna is still... herself... please let us all know on a regular basis, and notify us the moment you perceive that she is no longer in control. I apologize to you all for assuming any authority here, but ever since the original Abomination, Andalite schooling has given a very thorough training in what to do if you suspect a morph-capable person of being a Controller. I am going to trust all of you to understand the situation and co-operate. I am also going to trust that the other military individuals present here will restrain themselves from any unnecessary use of force against Reyna. She is a victim, not a criminal.>

[BaronConall]

She's telling the truth. I speak up after the events between Reli and Reyna have been made apparent. His... thoughts. They aren't present within her head. He seems like a shell, driven by instinct over will. At least, that's how his Ke feels.
The Visser is in the head of a Descendent. It seems too... ironic. I wonder if this was Oran's doing...

The Pemalite, however, is more surprised this time. <Chee? Yeerks? The Chee are a myth, made from rock and bone by the early powers of our people, creations designed to serve. Powers that we have long since lost. As for peaceful...> The Pemalite draws back his lips in a hideous snarl, <Our people have long since abandoned such whimsical notions after what the Keblrid subjected us to. Their Yeerk slaves are not better.>

[Estelore]

((OOC:The Chee were never mentioned aloud.))

[Terenia]

"No...don't..." she shakes her head, trying to clear it, but the images - memories - are disturbing, and she is distracted by their intensity. Some of the things that Esplin has been through...some of the things that he has caused are enough to make her stomach clench. At the same time, for some strange reason, the thought of starving him out of her head seems wrong. Something General Oran had said, about Esplin being forced to live, forced to serve his sentence.

"Ugh!" She cries, frustrated. It is impossible to make sense of it all. Hazy images from her last few moments of consciousness mix with these new memories that are not her own, that she does not want, and then there's this sense that no matter what happens Esplin must remain alive.

"General Oran said," Reyna begins, speaking in a halting tone as she pieces together the information. "that he needs to serve out his sentence. He cannot die, because....death would give him....peace."

She inches her eyes open again, this time able to do so without harm.

"What is that?" she asks, looking at the Pemalite as though just noticing his presence.

[A ghost you know]

Jim's head snapped toward Reyna. "A controller?" he gasped. Events were starting to fall into place, although he couldn't do more than conjecture at the links between them. That explosion... it must have been to free the Yeerk. But how did he end up in Reyna? There are two Leerans in our party, surely whoever set off that explosion must have realized the Yeerk couldn't keep up a deception against them! Or was that a desperation move? Their plan went wrong and they had to pick the first convenient host?

Lee's "voice" broke in on his thoughts, and he frowned. "He's like a shell? How... maybe the long imprisonment? Without anything or anyone to interact with, maybe he just... shut down?"

[Cobra (Gymn)]

"Wait! What?" Chris looked back and forth between Reyna, who apparently had visser Three in her head and, Lee who seemed to be the ones with the answers.

[Gumby]

Fisher shot Reyna a long, long look of concern. When it was revealed she was OK, still in control, Fisher did relax but was still confused. How was she still in control?

Whatever, Fisher just wanted to know where the hell they where what the hell was exactly going on. Turning his gaze towards this Pemalite creature, he stared it dead in the eye to question it.

"Ok, now you know the Kelbrid I assume right? Now answer me these questions. Where the hell are we, what the hell are the Kelbrid exactly, and why are you in here?"

[warren_bearclaw]

Marty's mind was whirling. He stared at the Pemalite. He couldn't think of anything to say, except to repeat his earlier question. "Is this chamber monitored? Are we being observed?" He really wanted out of those shackles about now...

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Mesa closed her mind for a moment against the outburst of mental noise.  Quiet!  She accidentally burst out.  She then opened her eyes, scanning each face.  Sorry, she said.  We need to keep things under control, and see if we can figure a way out of here.  First things first, she said.  Reli, Lee and I, she glanced at the Nothlit, feeling a deep pang of sympathy.  will keep you updated.  Reyna, try to shut it out for now, we can explore later.  Now, Pemalite, where are we?

She realized it wasn't just curiosity now--something new had risen in her.  Maybe always listening to mental turmoils had made her calmer in situations like this.  Or maybe she was just pushing aside her own mental turmoil for later.

[BaronConall]

The Pemalite looks at each of you. <We are in a Kelbrid Scythe Ship, scheduled to land on Etheriper. The Kelbrid have no need to monitor these cells. If they want information, they will extract as the see fit.> He then regards Fishers question. <You truly do not know of the Kelbrid... You should be grateful.>

That still tells us nothing. I speak up. What are the Kelbrid? What do they look like? How do we unlock these shackles? Once again, as if on queue, the shackles binding us recede, assimilating into the black wall and taking on it' properties, freeing us.

The Pemalite stares at us in awe. <Your race... They're psionic. They give psionic commands. Impossible, the Kelbrid said they were the only...>

Before he can complete his sentence, the panel that appears to be a door opens, not with a slide or a hiss, but receding in the same way as the shackles, as if the entire cell is organic and each aspect a voluntary muscle subject to various commands.
In the doorway stands an immense creature, eight and a half feet tall. Its' skin is a mottled, moldy green and its' legs are the same bent back knees as the Hork-Bajir, with its' tailbone supporting a stubby, vestigial tail. Its' hands end in four fingers, arranged in a zygodactylic fashion, pointing at an avian ancestry. It's mouth is a hardened beak of sorts and its' eyes are milky white, devoid of pupils. From its' head sprout a multitude of quills, in much the same way that a human has hair. Another interesting fact is that the creature is wearing clothes, a claim that, until now, on humans could make. It wears a series of leathers and plates across its' upper and lower torso as well as a leather hood. The mell of the creature hits you all immediately. A strong, mucky odor.
The creature regards the room for some time, before directing its' gaze to the Pemalite.

<Ayrow, we must leave quickly. This morph does not have much more time.>

The Pemalite seems just as shocked by this turn of events as anyone else, but quickly rises to his recently freed feet. <Ehruf? How did you even get here. Wait. Don't answer that. I can smell the blood.> The Pemalite, who can only be assumed to be Ayrow, looks back at you all. <You are free to join us. It seems you have a lot to learn about this place. I know many who would wish to meet a living Andalite.>

Ayrow's saviour tenses, immediately glancing at Kage. <An Andalite? Impossible!> It's as ferocious as they say...

<I'll explain later. For now, lets go!>

All this has happened so quickly that I barely have time to blink my Leeran eyes. Hey! Wait up!

Kage rises to his feet in bewilderment, also. Everyone here thinks I'm an Andalite. I should be flattered... "Yes, I am in agreement! Let's leave this place!" Kage doesn't know whether he should trust this 'Pemalite' but right now, it seems to be the lesser of two evils...

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Mesa was about to ask her next question when suddenly the shackles receded.  She gratefully massaged each tentacle, loosening the kinks in it.  Then the door opened and there stood...what Mesa's first thought was, a Kelbrid.

Mesa had a rather bad sense of smell--it wasn't really necessary underwater--but even she could clearly smell the strong odor emanating from this creature.  It seemed to be scanning the room, then its gaze locked on the Pemalite, addressing it as Ayrow.  Then they were gone.  Mesa quickly went after them, struggling slightly to keep up.  Who are you?  She asked the "Kelbrid." 

[Estelore]

Arhareli levered her tail against the wall to get her weight under her and stood up quickly, immediately stepping in range of Reyna.

<If there are no objections, I would appreciate for the soldiers to place themselves in alternation between the morph-capable team members, with Lee in front of Reyna, and me at the end of the procession. It will allow the best coverage until normal weapons become available, and I can cover us from behind with my secondary eyes.>

[BaronConall]

A sound plan. I reply to Arhareli, taking position.

<I am Ehruf.> The creature replies to Mesa, in a hurried tone. <Forgive my morph, but I truly am a Pemalite. This Kelbrid form may be detestable, but it was... neccessary if I was to free Ayrow.>

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

I am Mesa-Teern, Mesa for short.  Do you know the way out of this facility?  Mesa asked, keeping her other questions back for later, though her mind was spinning.  A live Pemalite?  With strange delusions about the Andalites?