“We should do something… real.” She said. This might be the breaking point with Jake, she knew, the danger involved in her suggestion to Tom might be enough to make him turn down the suggestion. “Let’s… go on a camping trip or something! We can sit him down and have a talk about Ax’s situation there, see if we can’t come to an agreement.” Translation: let’s starve out the yeerk. It might tip off his co-workers and boss. If he escaped, they were extra-fucked. They might be attacked by someone keeping an eye on Tom.
She thought it was worth the risk.
He has to close his eyes against the immediate and vicious response of yes. YES YES YES YES YES! it rings through his mind and behind his eyes and calls upon every late night fantasy he’s had since the first day he knew Tom was a controller. He wants to. He wants to drag Tom out into the woods, tie him down and starve the slug out. He wants his brother to be free, he wants his brother period.
There were risks, though. Some very serious risks. Tom could escape before the Yeerk died, and it would be proof that he and Rachel at least knew something. Another Controller could come looking for them to rescue Tom’s Yeerk. Tom could go right into trying to take them in to avoid the trip all together.
But the most horrifying one, the one that had kept Jake from acting so many times before, was the one where freeing Tom specifically would be noticed. The moment he came back without his passenger, Zach and Chapman would know. And Jake couldn’t predict their reactions.
“As much fun as that would be, Rachel, I don’t think we’ll have the time.” The words leave a bitter taste in his mouth.
and then I got Jake feels everywhere