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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 12, 2009 15:37:19 GMT -8
Cassie seemed to relax. She was about to say something until the man started speaking again, and she froze. Was that a threat? "No." Her hand was shaking as she stood up. David, as she now knew who he was, kept on talking. "Y-You wouldn't dare..."
"D-David. What are you doing here? And shouldn't you demorph?" Her breath caught. She felt like she was about to pass out, but she kept standing. She would not give in. "What do you want, David? You didn't give us a choice."
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Post by David on Mar 12, 2009 15:59:52 GMT -8
David smiled. "Oh, so you do remember. Good. That saves me so much time. I thought you might forget. After all," he continued, looking around her office, "with all of your success, why bother to remember me? You've got your home, your family, your nice job... Why take the time to remember the people you stepped on on your way to the top?"
Then David laughed. "Didn't give you a choice... Isn't it funny how that works both ways? Fair is fair, Cassie. You didn't give me a choice, either. No, not at all. So why should I have given you one? It's...only fair."
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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 12, 2009 16:06:04 GMT -8
Cassie blinked at him. "Stepped on? David, you tried to kill us." She glared at him. She felt a mixture of emotions well up inside of her. What was he planning? Why had he come here?
"The Yeerks took away your choice. Did you want to be infested?" Cassie swung her arms up and then let them drop to her sides. Staring at him, Cassie wondered what they were going to do next. She looked down at her papers and knew that David would have to leave soon. She didn't know what to do.
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Post by David on Mar 12, 2009 16:39:06 GMT -8
"Did I want to be infested? I don't know, Cassie. But ask yourself this, if you can. Imagine that the Yeerks came again. And this time, it wasn't my family they took. This time, it's yours. They've taken your children, your husband...everyone and everything you care about. The people you love are going through hell now. Are you so sure you wouldn't want to suffer with them?"
He saw her glance at her desk. "What's wrong, Cassie? Is this a bad time. Is it too inconvenient for you to talk to me? But then, what has anyone else ever really been to you other than an inconvenience? I'm not one of the select few you care about. So why bother taking a few minutes for the man you killed?"
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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 12, 2009 16:48:50 GMT -8
Cassie listened quietly as David spoke. Then, she did imagine what would happen if her family were infested. "I would want to fight for their freedom. Wouldn't that be what you'd want to? Rather fight for their right for freedom then have there be no hope." Shouldn't this make the least bit of sense to you, David?She thought sadly.
Cassie sighed. "You were not an inconvenience, David. We tried to work with you. I did care about you. You were a part of our team. Why do you think I offered you my barn? But, fine. What else do you...want to talk about?"
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Post by David on Mar 12, 2009 21:27:18 GMT -8
"Part of your team? Cassie, at least have the decency to be honest with me. I was never part of your team, part of your little inner circle. And I never would be. I know; that's how it always is. You forget: I'm used to being the new guy. Or do you think you're doing a kindness by lying to me? I had enough of Animorph kindness long ago.
What is taking these idiots so long? How hard is it to drive a car? "You don't want to talk about what you did to me? Fine; I understand that. So much easier to brush it off like it didn't happen. And hey, look: here I am. Isn't it wonderful how everything works out?
"You know what I want to talk about, Cassie? Let's talk about your family. Jackie, little Carson...Jake...any others I should know about? Did you ever wonder what they would do if one day mommy didn't come home from work? How long until they got worried? How long until they called the police?"
David gave her a cold smile. "They say that if you don't find someone within forty-eight hours, you'll never find them. How long do you think it would be before they called the police? I'm thinking pretty long. After all, you're one of the great and mighty Animorphs. You can take care of yourself, right?
"Twelve hours. That's how long I'd give it before Jake decided there was a problem. But he wouldn't go to the police, not at first. Oh no, not proud Jake; Jake the hero. Jake the great warrior. No, he'd try to deal with this himself. Maybe call up his old friends. But they wouldn't get far, I think.
"And imagine, Cassie, where you could be twelve hours from now. Why, in this modern age of space travel, you could be in orbit, headed for z-space. Twenty-four hours and you're far beyond Earth. Forty-eight hours in Z-space and who knows where you'll be? Two days is a long time when you're exceeding the speed of light. And after that, I wonder who would ever find you..."
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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 12, 2009 22:53:27 GMT -8
Cassie listened to David’s little speech, and it made her feel a chill go down her back. Why did she have a bad feeling from this? She wasn’t sure but she was wanting to find out. “What are you getting at, David?” She crossed her arms.
“David, I don’t know what you want and why you’re here. I don’t even know how you got in here, but what are you getting at?” Her tone was soft, hoping that he would leave and this was all just some sort of nightmare. She did have regrets, but she knew as well as anyone there was no other way.
Cassie was starting to get the impression that David was going to come after her. "It won't take them that long to find me. They can find me with ease if I were to disappear. But I'm not. So what's the point of asking hypothetical questions?"
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Post by David on Mar 12, 2009 23:05:54 GMT -8
"One must always consider the hypotheticals, Cassie. Like, 'hypothetically, someone else got the power to morph? What would we do?' Apparently, you'd trap him as a furry little animal and leave him to die. So the next question, Cassie, must be, 'What if he didn't die like we hoped? What if he survived and came back one day? What then?'
"That's one I've asked myself a lot, Cassie. What would I do if I just happened to stumble across one of you again... Let me ask you, Cassie: what do you think I would do? Imagine more than a decade of resentment, anger, hatred... Imagine what I would do with that alone." He leaned forward, uncomfortably close to her. "What do you think I would do?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.
And where the hell is my car?
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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 13, 2009 6:06:35 GMT -8
Cassie couldn’t understand why David couldn’t see that they really were left with no choice but to do what they did. She shook her head. “You could live as a rat. You weren’t dead. You survived, so in a way, we saved you.”
Though then David got uncomfortably close, even if she was behind her desk. She darted away and onto his side, which she later thought was a bit risky. “What do I think you would do? I don’t know, David. I’m not you. Only you can answer that question.” Cassie realized that now he could very easily have her cornered. Why did she close the door again?
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Post by David on Mar 13, 2009 6:16:06 GMT -8
"Saved me? Saved me?" David couldn't help but laugh loudly at that. "Alright, Cassie. Let me stick you in the body of a rat, leave you on an island in the middle of nowhere and see how saved you feel. Won't that be fun? I think so. It's so much easier to say you saved someone when you don't have to deal with the consequences. I wonder how many others you 'saved.'"
He cut off his laughter abruptly. "I'm sure you can figure out what I'd do, Cassie. After all, you were always so good with people. So use the only skill you have. Think like me. Get inside my head. What do you think I'm going to do?" he whispered.
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Post by Cassie Berenson on Mar 13, 2009 10:57:07 GMT -8
Cassie blinked when David laughed. What did she have to do to get through to him? "David, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry? Because I am. I regret it? I do. Wish there was another way? I do. But there wasn't. I don't know what else to say to you."
Cassie looked into David's eyes and said, "David, I don't know. Taunt someone until they beg for forgiveness? Is that what you're going to do?" She stood now firmly, not showing her fear.
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Post by David on Mar 13, 2009 11:27:09 GMT -8
David felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. About damn time, he said to himself. "No, Cassie. I'm done taunting. You and I are going to go for a little walk. And then a little ride. And then, who knows? Maybe on a nice little trip out into space. Or on a slow boat to China. Or maybe just to the highest bidder..."
David snatched a letter opener off of the desk. Not really a knife, but sharp enough to puncture Cassie's body if the need arose. He didn't point it at her or hold it like a weapon, but he knew she'd get the message. "Shall we be off, Cassie?" He doubted she would just go with him. But he could be...persuasive...when he wanted to be.
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