Tellion looked down at Bianca's terrified face with a mixture of shock and revelation. Ishtarael, one of the sisters that she had never spoken to, was alive. And she…was like her…

Oh Ishtareal, Tellion thought to herself, why didn't we ever speak to each other? If you always felt this way, if you had shown to me that you desired to be more than what we were born as…I could have shown you that you weren't the only one that believes the way you do. I could have helped to guide you. You wouldn't have to have been alone all this time…

But no matter how Tellion felt towards the sudden discovery of her long lost sister, that did nothing to dissuade her feelings for wanting to keep her other human sister safe. Tellion needed to act. Immediately. Or else she would risk giving herself away to Ishtareal.

Now Yeerk, Tellion threatened with one of the deepest feelings of regret she had ever experienced. tell me everything that you know about The Sharing's plans for infiltrating the local youth centers.

"I…I don't know anything!" Ishtareal protested. "I've only just been assigned to this post! All I was told was to seek out and recruit new hosts."

I don't believe you. Tellion lied. She knew that Yeerk commanders would only tell their subordinates just enough information to perform their appointed tasks. Too much knowledge risked their subordinates trying to usurping them. But she couldn't let Ishtareal discover that she already knew such things.

Panic was setting into her young host's face along with the fear of likely death. "I'm not lying! All I know is that the commanders are putting stronger focus into infesting the local youths. They say that they are far more susceptible to The Sharing's propaganda."

Just like your slave host? Tellion replied with a sneer in her voice.

"I was assigned to Bianca!" Ishtareal protested. "I didn't seek her out to do this to her!"

You called her by her name. Tellion said, I've never heard a Yeerk call their host by name before. Why do you do that?

"What does it matter?" she weakly countered, her eyes darting about the room.

Tellion's response was to press her black furred paw harder into Bianca's chest.

I've been watching you from the moment you came into the room. What was it that you did to that child before her mother came in?

Silence, and Ishtareal looking away, was the response she got. Tellion hated having to push her questions harder, but she did because she needed to.

Did you…give that child back control over her body?

Ishtareal remained silent, as if an answer would all but guarantee her death.

Answer me! Tellion screamed into Ishtareal and Bianca's mind.

"Yes!" Ishtareal blurted out. "I did give Bianca back control over body!"

Why would you do such a thing? Tellion asked. I've never seen a Yeerk do that?

"It…" there was a great deal of hesitancy in her trembling voice. "I was told that…if I tried to be kind to my host, then the infestation would be easier to cope with. I would be bonded with a companion, instead of an agonized slave. I never thought of giving freedom back to my host, until…"

Who told you of this? Tellion demanded. She had to know, because there were no other Yeerks that she knew of or ever encountered that would have spoken of such things. Except perhaps Aftran. Tellion felt excitement swelling up within her. Aftran, her dearest friend. Had she finally taken Tellion's ideals to her spirit? Had she finally found the courage to speak and act out like Tellion dared to do?

"I can't…" Ishtareal weakly protested.

Tellion's lips peeled back to reveal her now massive row of deadly sharp fangs. Who told you this? Answer me now!

"It was Sullia!" Ishtareal wheezed out in terror. "Sullia 3581!"

Sullia 3581…

Tellion had wondered about Sullia some times since that one brief moment she had spoken to her. Tellion had always hoped that her words would reach Sullia, and that she would become something better to her host Claira than just a cruel slavemaster. And now, hearing that she had taught the things Tellion had encouraged Sullia to do to her brood sister Ishtareal, and clearly had taken them to an even higher level, it gave Tellion a great sense of joy. So Sullia was also most likely like Ishtareal was now, or even more so. Tellion remembered the Ellimist's words about the dark path her people were on, and how she yearned to light the way for her people in the hopes of turning them away from that darkness. Now, even amidst everything that she was facing, Tellion saw a faint glimmer of hope that such a thing could be possible for her kind.

Tellion immediately brought herself back to the present. She needed keep her true intentions hidden from Ishtareal. Her Yeerk sister needed to remain ignorant to who she really was, for both of their own safeties.

We know nothing of such actions among Yeerks. Tellion stated. Rest assured Yeerk, we will look into this new control technique of yours.

"It's…it's not a technique to control our hosts!" Ishtareal proclaimed. "It's…a way for us to coexist…"

You really expect me to believe you, filthy slug? Tellion spat mentally into Ishtareal's mind.

"Wh…why would I lie about this?"

You would do anything to save your life…

Ishtareal didn't reply. Tellion didn't know if what she just claimed about Ishtareal was true or not. She wanted to believe that Ishtareal was virtuous enough to not be willing to sacrifice Bianca's life to save her own, but she just didn't truly know her. Even if she was her own sister. Not yet, anyway.

Fine then, Yeerk… Tellion spat out the word with as much mental venom as she could possibly muster. If you value your life, you're going to do this…

"O…ok…" Ishtareal gasped weakly.

From this moment on, YOU will not make any attempts to infest any of the youths you've been placed around.

"I…I can't do that!" Ishtareal stammered. "If I don't start recruiting new hosts, my superiors will think that I belong to the Peace Movement!"

The what? Tellion demanded.

Shock and an even greater fear spread across Bianca's young face as Ishtareal clearly said something that she didn't intend to let others know of. Her mouth instantly shut and she looked away.

What is the Peace Movement? Tellion demanded.

Ishtareal didn't answer, which only fueled Tellion's desire to discover it. Growling from the depths of her powerful throat, Tellion snapped her teeth once above Bianca's vulnerable face with a deadly audible click.

Answer me! Or else…

"I don't know of them!" Ishtareal blurted out. "I've…I've only heard whispers. From only the Yeerks that I trust the most. They…they're supposed to be a group of Yeerks that…want to be different. They want to live in harmony with their hosts, instead of controlling them. They speak of something called…true symbiosis…"

Again, another direct hit to her mental and emotional being. Tellion almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. Other Yeerks, not just Ishtareal and Sullia, had embraced her beliefs and ideals of peaceful coexistence with their hosts. And if what Ishtareal was saying was true, then their numbers were growing. Her mind was reeling with this sudden revelation. What should she do next? Tellion didn't truly know. But she had to act without delay to keep the fa?ade going with her sister.

I don't know what game this is you're trying to play, Yeerk. But know that I'll tell my comrades of what you're speaking of. But rest assured that we'll figure out what this 'Peace Movement' of yours is. In the meantime, our proclamation to you still stands. You will not recruit any new controllers from the youth centers your host inhabits.

"You can't make me do that!" Ishtareal sputtered. "Tha…that'll get me executed!"

Then find some other hosts elsewhere! But I promise you this, filthy little slug, if we so much as even suspect that you are ever trying to enslave another child like you've done with this young girl, then…

"Then what?" Ishtareal asked with absolute fright in her voice

Tellion dropped her massive jaws, letting a trickle of saliva drip from between her deadly teeth and fall onto Ishtareal's petrified face. Tellion stared directly into her terrified eyes with her equally horrifying yellow iris.

I…will…KILL…you…

"You…you wouldn't," Ishtareal hissed weakly. "the girl I'm inhabiting…"

I think she would prefer the release of death instead of a lifetime of imprisonment within her own body. Even to a Yeerk like you. Tellion stated.

With that said, Tellion leapt off of the bed with a heavy thud. She paced over to the open window, stopping to glance back once at the absolutely frightened face of Bianca/Ishtareal. Tellion suspected that her yellow eyes were shinning sinisterly in the pale light of the moon that she was basking in.

We'll be keeping a close eye on you, Ishtareal. Don't ever speak of what has transpired here this night, and don't make me ever have to come back here because of what we just spoke of. It will not be a good end for you.

After those parting words, Tellion jumped through the fully opened window, landing with hardly a sound onto the damp grass of the backyard. Instincts kicked in, and she vanished into the surrounding darkness. Leaping over the puny fences and darting in between the many houses that encased the surrounding neighborhood, Tellion fled from her surprisingly kind Yeerk sister. And her own fear.

She didn't know if any of the words she had spoken to Ishtareal had been real. Especially the threat to kill her. A part of Tellion wanted to believe that she would never brutally murder another being, especially a brood sister that clearly held a kind and gentle spirit that mirrored her own. But…what if she was left with no other choice? What if, to save her adoptive human sister Ellaine, she would have to sacrifice her own Yeerk sister Ishtareal? How could she choose between them?

You can't save everyone, Tellion. No matter how much you may wish it.

Hearing the Ellimist's words should have left Tellion feeling completely hopeless and dismayed over her present plight, yet they only served to ignite a fire of determination within Tellion's spirit.

No! she thought to herself. You may be right, Ellimist, I may not be able to save everyone, but I will save the people that I care for. I don't care how much I have to fight, or suffer, to do that. I won't fail to save my sisters. My human one, and now my Yeerk one. No matter what I have to do, I'll find a way to save them both!

She didn't know how to do that, yet. But for the immediate future, Tellion felt fairly certain that Ellaine would be safe from the Imperial forces. Of course, that all depended on Ishtareal keeping her word that she would leave both Ellaine and other children at her school alone. But on other side of it, if Ishtareal failed in her duties to recruit new hosts, then she would likely face demotion. Or even death.

Tellion hated the whole situation that she had been placed in, but her determination to protect both sisters hadn't diminished. She was now going to have to keep a close eye on both of them to ensure their safety.

The next time she met with Erik or Mr. King, she was going to have inform them of Ishtareal so that they could keep watch over her Yeerk sister. For both Ishtareal, and Bianca's, safety.

And then there was Ishtareal speaking of something called The Peace Movement. Hearing what Ishtareal had said to Tellion, if it was true that there were Yeerks that wanted to coexist in harmony with their hosts…then it gave Tellion a faint glimmer of hope for her kind. She thought of what the Ellimist had told her, about discovering 'True Symbiosis' with Tallaxia, and how that important memory would carry on to other Yeerks. Had her actions with Tallaxia, her conversations with both Illiam and Sullia, truly started something revolutionary among Yeerks? Had she truly forged a path towards her people becoming something better than what they had ensnared themselves into being?

Again, she would have to consult with the Kings, to see if they would be able to discover anything about this seemingly small and secretive, but apparently also expanding, group of Yeerks that were similar to her.

When she finally sulked out of the surrounding neighborhood and into a slightly wooded area, Tellion finally stopped running and rested in the darkness. The instincts of the big cat began to swell up in her mind, shrouded in the great blackness of the night, was beginning to overwhelm her. So many noises, so many opportunities to hunt, to kill, to feast…

No matter what, or who, that meal would be.

Tellion didn't know if it was truly a safe place to revert back to her original form, but she needed to change back immediately, lest she lose all control over the instincts which where steadily getting stronger and harder to keep under control. A part of her, far stronger than she ever would be willing to admit, felt a great hesitation to relinquish such strength and power, a power that she had never truly known throughout her entire life until just this night. Yet surrender it she had to, for her very sanity, and the fear of what she would be capable of doing if she didn't revert back.

Changing back into her human body was slow and, almost painful, yet somehow Tellion was able to manage the transformation. In a very short time, she went from an immensely powerful big cat that felt no fear or discomfort to a frail and weak human form that felt immensely vulnerable encased in the encompassing darkness. Clothed in nothing but her flimsy swimsuit, Tellion shivered slightly from the surrounding cold.

She needed to get home, call Ellaine and let her know the situation as it currently was. After that, Tellion didn't know. Lost among all of the insane things happening around her, all Tellion could really do was deal with each new problem as they presented themselves to her.

Morphing down into her crow form, Tellion took flight into the night sky. She felt a bit of regret for not choosing to try out her new flying morph in Amelia, but she had already dealt with enough just adjusting to Tezcatlipoca's predator instincts, it had been mentally taxing enough. She just needed to travel home, and didn't need any more distractions to get there.

Though she tried to keep her mind focused, Tellion just couldn't help but let her thoughts continue to drift away as it became overwhelmed with the reality of everything that was happing to her. Tellion's thoughts were so immersed in what she was going to do with everything that she didn't see the massive form streaking down at her from the surrounding blackness until it was almost upon her. A final instant internal scream from the crow's instincts caused Tellion to shift her head slightly just in time to see a set of massive raptor talons, both nearly as big as her entire body, outstretched and streaking down to pierce their deadly tips through her tiny crow body.

She didn't think. She didn't hesitate. Her wings immediately folded in and Tellion forced her small body into a sharp dive. Cold wind washed over her as she dropped nearly vertically to escape imminent death. The sharp snapping of the talons closing around thin air where she had just been reverberated into her bewildered ear canals. The enormous bird that had attacked her flapped its wings and pulled out of its dive for a moment.

Dammit! You bastard little bird! Screamed an echoing voice that penetrated directly into Tellion's terrified mind. You're not going to get away this time!

She remembered that voice. It was slightly different through its telepathic projection, but Tellion instantly recognized the viciousness in its tone. The sinister darkness that it permeated.

The boy!

The one that had taken the morphing cube, the one that the Andalites had carried away from the battle. And now…he was hovering just above her as an enormous predatory bird easily three times her size. But how…

The cube. The morphing power.

The Andalites had given the power to change to him. But…why? Even Tellion could sense the darkness lurking within the child. How could they have given someone like that such power? How could…

A mental scream of frustration broke her jumbled thoughts. Tellion spun slightly in the air to look up, and felt her heart sink when she saw him fold his massive wings and dive down after her.

You got away when I shot you! You got away the other day when you attacked me. Well now it's my turn you little bastard! I'm going to rip your insides out and watch you fall to your death!

He meant it! He was trying to kill her!

Tellion rolled back into her full dive, but from the back of her field of vision she saw him rapidly gaining on her. And so was the ground below.

What could she do? What could she do?!

Pull out of the dive and try to dodge his attack? No, with his height advantage, he would pounce on her the second she lost her speed. Try to veer to the side to evade his attack? No, he was still high enough above her, and could adjust his dive to be on top of her no matter which way she went. Dive into the ground and pull away just before impact? No, again, his altitude advantage would let him simply spring on her the moment she lost any momentum, no matter what height it was at. And if she guessed wrong, her tiny body would smash into the ground in a sickening and bloody pulp.

In her desperation, she thought to cry out to him to not attack her, to let him know that she wasn't just some non-sentient bird, but a thinking and feeling being like him. But in his current bloodlust, Tellion doubted he would really hear her words, or even care if he did.

There was nothing she could do. This sinister boy…he was going to kill her. She was going to die.

All hope began to fade from Tellion as both the sadistic boy and the ground drew closer to her at a frightening speed. She only had a few more moments of life left before one or the other would do her in. How could it all end here? And like this? She didn't want to die, she had been through too much, sacrificed too much, gained so much in her life to live for. She…

Tellion didn't know how she saw it. Not far below her, lazily drifting along not far above the top level of the surrounding trees…was another crow. Tellion didn't hesitate in adjusting her tail feathers slightly to alter her dive, taking her directly into its projected path. She didn't want to do this, but the massive bird form that the boy was now morphed in was closing in, and his menacing cackling told her that he was gleefully anticipating tearing his claws through her body. He wasn't going to stop until blood was on his claws.

Tellion focused all of her remaining mental capacity towards making sure her trajectory was right. They were rapidly closing on the unsuspecting crow. If the crow saw them before Tellion could pass it and flew away, she was dead.

Time to die! the boy screamed all through her terrified mind.

And just like that, Tellion shot past the other crow, spread her wings out and felt the sudden impact of the g-forces pushing against her small body. She darted into a small crop of branches at the top of a nearby tree, her tiny claws latching onto a flimsy branch to stop herself. High pitched squawks came from behind her, and Tellion regretfully hoped around in time to see the boy eviscerate the helpless bird with his deadly talons. The crow struggled and squawked feebly as it was torn apart.

Die! Die! Die! he shrieked out in malicious glee as he let the mortally injured crow fall flailing from the sky.

As she watched on with absolute horror, Tellion could only hide away in the shadows of the flimsy tree branches around her as the dangerous boy, now in his very deadly bird of prey form, flapped his enormous wings and climbed higher into the sky as he looked around for her.

Thought that was so cleaver, didn't you? You think sacrificing that one stupid bird is going to make me just forget about you? I'm going to find you, and I'm going to kill you, little birdie…

He was…twisted inside, Tellion realized. As twisted as any ruthless Yeerk. How could the Andalites not see this? This boy…was just as dangerous to them now as any Yeerk opponent.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind that Tellion heard a faint mental echo of a voice coming from high above. The boy lifted his bird head towards the direction it had come from and rapidly flapped his wings to gain even more altitude.

Sorry about that guys…he said, his voice void of any sincerity. The bird just took over, I don't really know what happened to me.

Again, Tellion heard the faint echo of a response on the edges of her mind. The boy glanced around in one final vain attempt to locate her before flapping his wings and returning to the Andalties high above them. Tellion was desperately tempted to leave her hiding spot and fly up to warn the Andalites about what the boy had just tried to do. Yet the hammering of her small heart in her tiny rib cage held her in the shadows. The fear of almost being killed by the sinister child was too much to overcome, and she very much doubted that she would be able to get close enough to the Andalites to warn them before he dove back down and finished her off.

Also, she saw the general direction that they were all heading. Out towards the open ocean. Tellion could only guess that they were heading towards the Marriott resort to thwart the Visser's plan to infest world leaders. A great part of her wanted to fly up and offer her assistance to the Andalites. But with a combination of knowing that revealing herself to them would put her in immense danger between the Andalites and the boy, and the fact that it would have likely caused so much confusion that it would put their mission in jeopardy, Tellion choose to remain hidden among the thick tree branches. Her feelings as she watched the boy rejoin the Andalites and head off were a mixture of relief and guilt. Once they were out of her cone shaped vision, Tellion reluctantly emerged from her hiding spot. She silently wished them all a successful operation, but more importantly, she hoped that somehow being among the honorable Andalites would eventually quell the twisted boy's obvious bloodlust, though Tellion seriously had her doubts.

She traveled back home, skimming just above the tree tops, just in case. When she finally flew through her open bedroom window and transformed back to her human self, Tellion walked over to the bed and collapsed upon its surface. It was only then that the realization of her near death experience at the claws of that sinister boy struck her. She threw a pillow over her face as both the terror and emotional turmoil of nearly dying finally caught up with her numb mind. Her tears of sorrow quickly soaked the underside of the pillow as Tellion became lost in her embattled state. She didn't want to deal with anything else. She just wanted to lay there and weep for the rest of the night.

The sound of the phone ringing brought Tellion out of her delirious state. Brushing aside her tears, Tellion went over to the chiming device and picked it up. She half expected it to be Mark, to tell her that she was too late and the boy had died. Instead, it was Ellaine. It was only then that Tellion remembered her promise to call her earlier in the day.

"Suzie…" Ellaine's nervous voice asked over the electronic receiver.

"Ellaine…" Tellion responded, forcing down her emotional turmoil to not make her sister worry about her.

"Oh…" Ellaine's scared voice echoed through the other end. "Suzie, I was so worried about you…"

"I'm fine, Ellaine." she told her. "You don't need to worry about me."

There was a long space of time where neither of them spoke. Then finally, and with a great bit of reluctance in Tellion's mind, Ellaine finally asked her much dreaded question.

"Suzie…what happened with Bianca?"

Tellion shut her eyes and drew in a very deep, and equally reluctant breath. She didn't know what to tell her human little sister. Discovering a Yeerk sister of her own, that was attempting to be just as kind and gentle as she was, had put Tellion in a state of complete distress. She couldn't choose one sister over another, and that was what made her next actions even more disturbing for Tellion. Because in her true essence of being, Telliion didn't know what the right answer was to tell her human sister, or if there was even a right answer to tell her.

"Ellaine," Tellion exhaled softly before answering. "I was wrong about Bianca…"

A long pause passed over their conversation. Then Ellaine spoke.

"What do you mean? I thought you said that she was…"

"She didn't join The Sharing voluntarily." Tellion told Ellaine. "She was forced to join them against her will."

That wasn't a lie, not really. Tellion had just been vague about what the truth really was of the situation. Bianca hadn't joined The Sharing voluntarily.

"How do you know that?" Ellaine asked.

"I…overheard her speaking with another member of The Sharing. Her handler." Tellion told her. "Ellaine…Bianca only joined The Sharing because they threatened her family, and you. She joined them to keep you both safe."

"R…really?" Ellaine asked with nervous optimism. "Then she…"

"She's still your friend Ellaine," Tellion told her. "More than you could ever begin to imagine. But this doesn't change anything. She's still dangerous to you."

"But you said…"

"She may not be truly loyal to them, but that doesn't take away the threat that they are to her, and you!" Tellion warned her. "Her…handler, was sympathetic to her situation, and made a deal with her. In return for her loyalty, Bianca's family and you would be left alone."

Ellaine attempted to protest the warning, but Tellion immediately shut her down.

"Ellaine, I know how you're feeling." Ellaine may have never fully believed what Tellion was telling her, but her statement was absolute truth for her human little sister. "But you have to remember how dangerous The Sharing is. Even though Bianca isn't really a part of them, you can never speak to her about matters concerning The Sharing. She will still follow their orders if you present yourself as a threat to them. She may even kill you if they order it, if it means keeping her family safe."

Silence on the other end of the phone was all the answer Tellion needed to know that she got the seriousness of the situation across to Ellaine.

"I'm sorry, Ellaine. I wish I could tell you more, but you need to always stay on guard around Bianca. But know that anything she says to you about The Sharing, is only being done by her at the threat of her family. I promise you, she isn't really one of them."

"How did you find all this out Suzie?" Ellaine asked.

"I told you Ellaine, the less you know about all of this, the safer it is for you. Don't ask me again. Just know that what I told you was the truth. Don't call me again for a while, Elliane. And always, always keep your guard up around Bianca."

With that said, Tellion hung up the phone and wearily placed her head against the wall where she was standing. Deep in what she felt was herself, Tellion hated the deception that she was doing to her sister, but ultimately it was to keep her safe. The less she knew about the Yeerk invasion of Earth, the safer she was.

Tellion took the phone off its receiver, a trick she had learned from watching Mark that kept anymore calls from coming in. She was sure that Ellaine wanted to speak to her more about everything, but by this point, the less conversation that they had, the safer she would be. And Tellion was just fine with that.

With their interaction finished, Tellion went about eating a light dinner that she took almost no desire in. Looking at the clock, she noticed that Mark still hadn't called her. It was well past the time when he was supposed to. She hoped that he wasn't still mad at her. Even if he was, Tellion knew in her heart that her actions against him were not selfish.

But what she knew, and what she could actually show him, well, they were two entirely different things. Images of the boy's predator bird form, swooping down after her, his claws poised to eviscerate her…it rocked Tellion's frail emotional state. Cold chills ran up her body, causing Tellion to weakly clutch herself. But she felt no comfort from her own touch. No warmth. Just the bitter sting of loneness as she sat on her bed, in the large empty house that held no sounds other than the faint noise of her own raspy breaths.

She knew in that instant that she couldn't stay there. But was also too newly traumatized from her near death experience to simply morph her crow, or even the Swallow-Tailed Kite, and take to the blackened skies once again. Not yet anyway.

Tellion quickly dressed into normal clothing, grabbed her nearby keys for her own personal vehicle, and rushed out of her now none comforting home. Tellion almost ran to the car sitting ideally in the driveway, got in the driver's seat, and turned the engine on. She left the street, then the neighborhood, then the city, in a nearly bewildered state. She was barely aware of her actions, and direction, until she had been driving down the long stretch of road that was leading her to the only place that truly mattered to Tellion in that instant.

Mark.

She knew that he was expecting her to come in the morning, but she couldn't wait anymore. She needed to see him. To speak to him. To feel him. It was the only thing that Tellion felt could save her in her current state.

Having already memorized all of the roads and turns that Mark would need to take to get to the new hospital, Tellion followed her memories until she had finally reached the hospital. Where the last one she had been in filled her with a sense of impending dread, Tellion felt an uplifting sense of salvation from this one.

She hurried into the main entrance and asked the staff behind the front desk where Mark was, addressing herself as his wife. They called for him on the phone, then told her that he would be down shortly. Tellion waited nervously near the doors that they told her to expect him to come through. When they finally swung open, and she laid eyes on him confusingly walking in wearing his doctor coat, Tellion threw herself at Mark. He didn't manage to get even a word out before her arms were pulled tightly around him and her face buried in his chest.

"Susan…what are you…you said you would be here tomorrow." he stammered.

"I had to see you." Tellion whispered. "I'm sorry, there's been so much…"

"What?" Mark questioned, clearly very confused by her words.

"I didn't mean to abandon you." Tellion told him in full truth. Then she lied. "I just…didn't want to come back to a hospital. It reminds me too much of…"

"Hey," he whispered, gently running his hand across her back. "you're here now. That took a hell of a lot of courage to do. I'm proud of you."

It was only then that she dared to cautiously lift her head to meet his gaze. And she hated the way he looked. His face was far more weary than when she had last seen him. His eyes were empty, almost hollow. It was the look of a man that had been worn down by something that she couldn't begin to imagine.

Oh how she so wanted to kiss him in that moment, just to show him how much she loved him.

But their moment was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a man beside them. Mark immediately pushed her back slightly to address him, which Tellion hated so very much. Until he spoke to him.

"Mr. Langley…" Mark said.

The man known as Mr. Langley looked first at Mark, then at Tellion.

"Is…this your wife?" he asked.

Mark glanced at Tellion, then back at Mr. Langley. "Yes…she is."

Tellion didn't know what the reason was for his actions, but he nervously stepped closer to them. "You're the one? You're the one that came back from…the coma?"

Tellion glanced at Mark, and he gave her a face that said he didn't know what to do in that moment. So Tellion weakly nodded her head. "Yes…I came back…"

The man shook from her answer, his body visibly trembling at her words. He tried to put on a brave and confident face, but Tellion could easily see that he was very emotionally drained. Just like Mark, but more so.

"Could you…could you come and talk to my wife Ellen? It would mean so much to us…" he asked in a very hesitant voice.

Tellion nodded. "Of course. Anything that I can do to help."

Mark grumbled under his throat. "I don't know if now is a very good time Mr. Langley…"

Tellion gently squeezed his shoulder. "It's alright, I'm here now. And I want to help if I can Mr. Langley."

"It's George." Mr. Langley said.

Mark looked disturbed by her proclamation. George seemed very relieved. Tellion didn't know if she had made the right choice in this situation, but a choice had been made. And she needed to see it through. At her request, George motioned for Tellion to follow him. Follow him she did, with Mark trailing right behind them. They took the elevators to a higher floor, after which Tellion was led to a section of the hospital that was designated for injuries that were deemed critical. She had to admit, despite the primitive state of their current technological development, humanity at least put every effort that was possible into saving even just one life. Tellion wondered how many of her own people's lives could have been saved if they had just cared for the preservation of life in the way humanity did. She would never know, but the thought of that realization only helped to increase her sadness for her kind.

But what was really her kind anymore? After having lived so long as a human, Tellion increasingly found herself to be more alien to her Yeerk kin than humanity itself.

Tellion didn't say anything as she followed George into a nearby room. None of the nearby staff objected to her being in that place with Mark clearly standing nearby. Inside, Tellion saw something that sent chills running through her. Sitting against the wall was a woman, maybe a bit older than her own host body, and she looked like one of the most broken and sickly people that Tellion had ever remembered seeing.

Then she heard the beeping. And the pumping. The exact same sounds from that very first day…when she had opened her eyes into this new life…

Her head twisted slowly towards the noise, and her throat tightened to the point that she almost couldn't breathe. There, laying in a bed just like the one she had woken up on…lay a form that was roughly the size of a child near Ellaine's age. But he was covered in a mass of medical wrappings, so much that she could barely see any kind of flesh. A ventilator machine, just like the kind that she used when feeding, was beside the bed, with a tube snaked down his small throat. Its mechanical pumping mixed in the with the heart monitor's steady rhythmic beeping to make an almost ominous music that scratched at Tellion's ears.

As she stared at the still form attached to all the medical equipment, George went to his wife. Tellion jumped slightly when Mark placed his hand on her shoulder. When she looked back at him, his eyes were full of concern.

"Are you…" he trailed off.

"It's a lot…" Tellion answered honestly, looking at the kid. "Being in a place like this, seeing that boy, it reminds me of everything…"

"You've come a long way." Mark told her. "And you're a lot braver than I ever remember you being."

"I don't feel that way most of the time." she said weakly.

"It's true though…"

"She's here!"

Tellion turned her attention back to the woman as she weakly climbed from her seat and stumbled over to Tellion. She nervously backed into Mark as the wild eyed woman approached her.

"It you, isn't it?" she asked, her voice teetering on the edge of breaking. "Your husband told me about you. That you…you came back…"

She grasped Tellion's hands and held them tight, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Is it true? Did you really come back…from…from a…"

"Yes." Tellion answered her in a shaken voice. "I did come back from…that…"

She couldn't say the word. She just couldn't. She had said too many lies this day, she didn't know if she was capable of handling another one. Especially one of this colossal magnitude. The woman continued to stare at her, searching Tellion's gaze for some kind of hope. The smile that she gave to Tellion created one of the worst feelings that she ever could have imagined, because the smile was based entirely upon a lie. A lie that this woman desperately needed to be true.

"Then…it's possible…that it can happen for my boy too?"

"I was trying to tell you both earlier," Mark attempted to explain, "your son's condition is almost the same as what Susan's was, but my wife's situation was a one in a million chance. No one, not even my colleges, can explain how it happened. I just…"

"But it still happened!" she cried out, clearly ignoring everything that Mark had just said. Tears were starting to swell up in her terrified eyes as she continued to look at Tellion. "You came back! It's still possible!"

"I don't remember anything of my life before." Tellion told her honestly. "I don't know if I ever had any thoughts while I was like that…I'm sorry, I just don't know…"

"But if you…came back…then there's still hope, hope for my boy…my precious Saddler…"

Tellion glanced out the corner of her eye at the form laying on the bed. The broken and almost shattered frame of Saddler, attached to all those machines. The only things keeping him alive still. She didn't want to lie again. It hurt her emotionally so much, but how could she tell this desperate woman the truth. That there was probably no hope for the boy. In all likelihood, he was going to die. She didn't want to lie again…

"Right?" Ellen asked desperately.

"Yes," Tellion wheezed, letting the lie seep from her trembling lips, "there's always hope…"

Ellen could no longer hold back her tears and unexpectedly, she threw her arms around Tellion and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!" she cried. "Thank you for giving me hope! I just can't…I can't lose my baby…"

"Honey," George said nervously as he pulled her away from Tellion. "I think she already knows how much you appreciate you being here."

Mark grunted under his breath, catching all of their attentions. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. I know that this is a very emotional moment for the both of you, but I would like to speak to you both. In private, it's about discussing the matter of your son's transfer…"

Tellion didn't like the way Mark said that. Whatever he wanted to say to the two stricken parents, he didn't want Tellion to overhear.

"No!" Ellen cried, moving back towards Saddler's side. "I'm not leaving my baby!"

As both Mark and George attempted to talk to her, Tellion stepped forward.

"I…I'll stay here with him…if you'll let me…" she told Ellen.

Ellen stared at Tellion with a mixture of shock and relief.

"You would do that? But you don't even know us…"

"Your child's in pain." Tellion said in absolute truth to her words. "I'll stay and keep watch over him until you come back."

"All I'm asking you to do is step right outside the room." Mark assured her.

Ellen smiled with relief at Tellion. She bent down and gently ran her hand through Saddler's loose brown hair.

"Saddler, sweetie." she whispered. "This nice lady is going to stay here with you for a minute. I'll be right back. And…momma loves you…"

Still shedding tears, she gently kissed the top of Saddler's head and with great reluctance backed away from him. She gave Tellion's arm a comforting squeeze before going to be with her husband and Mark. Tellion watched them exit the room, leaving her alone with the gravely wounded boy. Tellion was very hesitant to go to his side, so many bad memories were welling up in her mind at the sight of him. But…she had made a promise to his mother, and she would honor that. No matter how scared she was.

Going to his side, Tellion felt her whole body trembling as she stared down at him. So young…so much life ahead of him…all to be here like this. She was tempted to think this wretched fate for the child was so unfair. But deep in her spirit, she had painfully learned since becoming human just how harsh and unforgiving life was. For all living beings. That still didn't take away the sorrow that she felt for Saddler, or his bewildered parents, or Mark.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." Tellion whispered to a child that she doubted could hear her. "No life so young…deserves such a harsh fate…"

As she stared down at him, the steady beeping rhythm of the machine next to her increased slightly. Tellion turned her attention to the monitor, and was confused to see a sudden spike in the readings. She had no idea what it meant, she didn't know anything about these other machines. A faint groan drew her attention away from the machines, and back to Saddler.

Tellion's mouth fell open when she saw his body stirring slightly. The movements were very faint, almost impossible to detect, unless one was standing right beside the body. Her eyes darted down to his hand, which was shaking in a series of extremely small tremors. Another low groan echoed from behind his breathing tube. Looking back and forth from the machines to Saddler, Tellion instantly recognized that the child was in some form of distress.

She didn't know what to do. She wanted to call out to Mark, but no voice could be summoned up in her throat, nor could she find the strength to pull herself from his side. She felt so helpless, just standing there as the boy shook slightly in his bed. If only there was something, anything that she could do…

Then Tellion remembered something. She stared down at her now shaking hand. The hand that had touched the morphing cube.

Every animal, every single animal, even the mighty Tezcatlipoca…had become unexplainably calm from her touch when she had acquired them. It was all too possible, that the same thing would happen to a human…

Tellion clenched her hand slightly at the thought. Taking the essence of an animal was one thing, taking it from another sentient being, and a gravely injured child at that…made Tellion feel wretched inside.

But what else could she do? Calling out to Mark and the boy's parents would do nothing to help him in his current state. She had to do something!

Reassuring herself that her next actions were purely for good reasons, Tellion unclenched her fist and took Saddler's trembling hand in her own. She wasn't doing this to acquire him, only to bring a calm to his distressed state. Nothing more.

Focusing like she had done with all the animals before, Tellion thought of Saddler and how she just wanted to help him in this moment. To ease his suffering any way that she could. Tellion leaned closer to him as she felt the tingling feeling begin between their mutual touch. Running her fingers through his hair the way his mother had, she bent down until her mouth was right next to his ear.

"It's ok, Saddler." Tellion whispered nurturing into his ear as she continued to gently rub his head. "Momma's here."

The tingling intensified as a part of his essence was drawn into her, and as it did, the frantic pace of the machine's beeping slowly receded to its steady rhythm from before. Saddler's body also settled into the calming state that Tellion had seen with all the other animals before. And just like that, he was resting easy again. Tellion couldn't help but smile, knowing what she had done for the boy and she continued to hold his hand in her tingling grip. Her smile instantly vanished when she heard a steady drip, dripping sound of something wet splattering on the floor at her feet. When her eyes glanced down, Tellion's stomach turned at the sight of a small pool of red collecting between her feet. Her eyes followed the path of the falling red droplets, and she saw that the bandage over the forearm of Saddler's hand that she was holding was rapidly turning a damp red.

"Mark." Tellion called out with great concern as she saw the red space grow. "Mark!"

Crying out his name so loudly finally caused him to return to the room.

"What is it honey?" he asked.

When Tellion pointed at Saddler's arm, his eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" he yelled, rushing over to them. He pushed her roughly aside, breaking her connection with Saddler. He ignored her and immediate inspected the damp red bandage on his arm.

"Saddler?" Ellen asked nervously as she entered the room with her husband. Her eyes widened with fright when Mark peeled back the bandages on Saddler's arm, and a spurt of blood shot into the air.

"Saddler!" she screamed, rushing towards her son.

"Hold her back!" Mark screamed to her husband, his eyes darted back to Saddler's arm. "Goddamit! The stitching must have… his vein's opened again!"

Mark punched the intercom on the wall. "I need a nurse in room four, prep the triage room, now!"

He pulled what looked like a pair of scissors from his coat pocket, but weren't exactly that. Tellion did nothing, because she really couldn't do anything. She looked once over at Saddler's hysterical mother as she fought against her husband to get to her child's side, then back at Mark as he inspected Saddler's arm. Her stomach twisted into multiple knots as another spurt of blood shot out of Saddler's arm. Even though she felt so sick that she could barely stand, Tellion kept her attention focused on Saddler's arm, for reasons she could never truly know why. She watched with nauseating eyes as Mark pried the bloody opening on his arm wider and located the spot where the blood was pouring forth. A small and thin vein that clearly had ruptured.

"My baby, no!" Ellen screamed, almost pushing past her much larger husband to reach her child as several more female medical personnel rushed into the room.

Despite all of the confusion, despite all the chaos, Tellion kept all of her attention focused on Saddler's arm, and what Mark was doing to help the boy. He took the odd pair of scissors and clamped their ends around the broken portion of the vein deep in Saddler's arm where the blood was spurting forth, squeezing the ends together with a series of rapid metallic clicks. Then, the surge of bloody spurts stopped. But it did nothing to alleviate the mass chaos that was rampaging through the tiny room.

"Saddler!" Ellen screamed, almost breaking free from her husband's grasp.

"Get her out of here!" Mark yelled, waving his free arm frantically. "Get her the hell out of here!"

It took her husband and two more medical staff to drag the screaming woman out of the room, finally allowing Mark the needed reprieve to focus on the boy. He looked at the closest medical staff and began issuing sharp commands.

"Get the anesthetist on call, we need to prep the patient for emergency exploratory surgery. And I need at least three bags of plasma waiting in the operation room! Get moving!"

The surrounding medical personnel immediately went to work to prepare Saddler for removal from his bed. As they went about moving Saddler, Mark finally turned to face Tellion.

"Honey, you need to leave."

"Mark…" Tellion stammered, looking first at Saddler, then at the entrance to the room where his mother had been dragged out. "I just wanted…"

"Honey!" Mark shouted, his voice strained greater than she had ever heard it before. "I appreciate everything that you did here, but now I have to focus all of my attention on saving this kids' life. Go home."

"But…"

"Just go home! There's nothing more that you can do here!" he told her, almost lifting his hands to touch her, yet held back as he saw that his fingers were covered in blood.

Tellion didn't know what to say to him. She just stood there in stunned silence as Mark and the rest of the medical staff rushed to attend to the badly injured Saddler. She didn't want to leave, but standing there, not really being able to do anything, Tellion couldn't help but acknowledge that Mark was correct. There was nothing that she could really do anymore. With great reluctance, Tellion quickly exited the room. She stood in the middle of the hallway as Mark and the others rolled Saddler out of the room and rushed him through a pair of large doors.

Behind her, Tellion heard frantic crying. When she turned around, she saw Saddler's mother collapsed on the floor, weeping for her child as her husband attempted to comfort her as he cried himself. Tellion wanted to go to her, hug her, and tell her that everything would be ok. But would it really? She didn't know much about human anatomy, but even she could assess the seriousness of Saddler's injuries. The likelihood that he would survive was rapidly dwindling. And she hated being caught up in all of it, unable to help Saddler more, or give real comfort to his bereaved mother.

Tellion moved closer to the grieving couple, standing over them as Saddler's mom remained on the floor, crying out for her young boy in a way that only a mother could. It was an emotion that Tellion couldn't understand, but she felt the pain of her agony all the same. As she continued to cry into her husband's shoulder, the man weakly looked up at Tellion. His eyes stared at hers, clearly hoping that she could offer them something, anything, that would help them in that moments.

"I…I'm sorry…" she muttered before backing away to the elevator.

A large part of her wanted to stay, but deep inside of herself she knew that she couldn't do anymore good for these grieving parents. With nothing more left that she could do, Tellion took Mark's painful advice and entered the elevator. Once she had reached the ground floor, she left the hospital without another thought.

The drive home was even worse than the drive to the hospital. Tellion felt so lost, so helpless among everything that was happening. All the power she had recently acquired, and she was still unable to do anything to help even one single injured child. None of it felt right to her, none of it felt fair. But, she tried to reassure herself, there was nothing else that she could have done. She gave Saddler's mother some, if even the faintest bit, of hope that her child would survive. She occasionally glanced at her hand that had touched Saddler as it rested on the steering wheel. Tellion didn't know how she should have felt from taking Saddler's DNA. In many ways, it felt so wrong to have done so. Yet, she had given relief to Saddler when he had been in great distress. She supposed that would be enough in the great scope of everything to make up for the guilt that she felt for her actions. At least, Tellion hoped that it would.

When she got home, Tellion felt a strange combination of exhaustion and unexplainable energy that kept her moving about the house. She looked at the clocks, and was shock to see that it was in the early hours of the morning. By this time, she should have been long ago in a deep sleep. Yet here she was, moving about in her home with an energy that couldn't be dissipated. She tried to do some cleaning, just pointless tasks to keep her mind occupied, but nothing worked. Despite her best efforts, Tellion just couldn't put her mind at ease. With nothing left to do, Tellion grumbled and went to the bedroom. Once there, she threw off her regular clothing, leaving her with just the swimsuit she continued to wear.

Not knowing what else to do, Tellion decided that she needed to escape the home. Escape everything, even if it was just for a little while. And there was only one way that she knew how to do that.

She thought about morphing the crow once more, but decided against it. No, this time, she determined, she would morph Amelia the Swallow-Tailed Kite. Tellion didn't fully understand her desire to suddenly try this new morph. The only thing she knew for certain was that she wanted to get away from all this emotional conflict that she had endured in just a single night, all of this pain and suffering, if even just for a short while.

With nothing left to hold her back, Tellion went to the window and looked out into the night. It felt so ominous and yet so comforting to her at the same time. Such a strange confliction of emotions. Tellion didn't know if what she was feeling in that moment should have felt right, but she had to escape.

Summoning up her memories from earlier in the day with her interactions with Amelia, Tellion focused all of her thoughts on becoming that amazing and spectacular bird. And before long she felt the change. Just like with the crow, her body first began to shrink, then her arms began to shift as feathers began to push their way out from under her skin. Her face stretched slightly, but not as before. Instead of a long, cone shaped beak, Tellion's face shifted into a curved one that was perfect for snatching a delicate morsel from the air and crushing it.

The rest of the transformation finished after a few short minutes of bones, internal organs, and her overall body structure shifted down into a bird that felt just a bit larger than the crow. But here, her vision wasn't tunnel shaped like the crow, instead Tellion had a sharp view of her surroundings, and her ability to focus her vision was so intense that she could follow tiny specks of dust as they floated through the air around her.

Tellion flapped her wings, lifting herself up to the windowsill. She stared out into the welcoming night. For the second time in one evening, she propelled herself out into the blackness. Up into sky she went, her mind trying to adjust to the new body that she possessed. It was in many ways similar to her crow morph, yet it was also so very different. The biggest change for Tellion was when she adjusted her extremely long tail feathers, and her body darted into the desired direction was shocking ease.

This brought a sense of relief and joy to Tellion's very weary mind, and she continued to dart and dive about in the air, letting herself become lost in the joy of the sensations and freedom of the flight. And for the very first time throughout the long, terrifying, and emotionally draining night, a much needed peace settled over her mind.

Although, Tellion felt, it would be very short lived.