PSA: this is your brain on Yeerks

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

My name is Jake. I'm here to tell you that there is a Yeerk among you. His name is Iniss 335, and his host is Tom Berenson. My brother.

I'm new to this ship, but not to the war against the Yeerk invasion. I'm told that some of you are sympathetic to the Yeerks, that you pity them, and I understand.

I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong. I can't make that call for you. But you know what the Yeerks are. You know how they control a host so completely, so perfectly, that you can't tell who around you is free and who's helpless in his own mind. The one you don't know is Tom, who has been imprisoned for more than three years. Imagine being unable to move a single muscle, voice a single thought, imagine your body a tool for your captor, used to enslave everyone you care about. Imagine that your thoughts are no longer your own, that someone else can rifle through them at will, and does: uses your knowledge to fool your friends, find their weaknesses, and your every fantasy to shame you.

I know that my brother is strong, but I also know that he is suffering, and I would like that suffering to stop. If you still feel that all creatures have a right to live as they choose, then so be it. But I hope you won't mistake Iniss for the victim here.

If you see Tom, I would appreciate any information.

Comments

[Private to Jake]

[echoofaperson.livejournal.com]

You know, I always thought you were a good kid, smarter than your grades showed, maybe meant for something bigger. Even went out of my way to keep you out of trouble as per your brother's deal with me to keep his family safe. I guess that era of our relationship is over now. Mores the pity.

I think you forgot something very vital in your little appeal; not everyone is going to have the same care and compassion for your brother as you do, Jake. And Tom is still in here. There are people on this ship that will just see the yeerk, and not the human, and the loss of one petty human life as an acceptable cost for killing a yeerk.

Remember that.

[Private to Tom/Iniss]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Tom, I love you.

[changelingdude.livejournal.com]

ALIEN BRAIN SLUGS!?!

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Be careful, Beastboy. They might mistake you for an Andalite.

[thirdeyesighted.livejournal.com]

And here Marco had me under the impression that you were trying to keep this a secret.

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

But he told you?

[Private to Jake]

[kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com]

I'm...familiar with the Yeerk situation even though I'm from another world. I was put in the brig for trying to kill one. I didn't know all the circumstances, and that''s my fault, but after hearing some people on the ship I do know one thing: that Yeerk was rare in comparison to these.

If there's anything I can do to help you save your brother, I will. He's a person on this ship like anyone else.

[Private to Katara]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your offer. Right now we need every eye out there we can get. Do you know what he looks like?

Also, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about this incident. Why do you say this Yeerk was rare?

[Private to Jake]

[kawalskyeffect.livejournal.com]

I'm Major Charles Kawalsky. I'm on security. What happened? Where did you last see him?

[Private to Kawalsky]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Hello, Major. Unfortunately, he's traveling with someone who doesn't find physical barriers an obstacle. By this point, he could be anywhere.

Is security able to track individuals aboard the ship?

[thethirdhalfa.livejournal.com]

You forgot to mention that you ALMOST STARVED HIM TO DEATH ALREADY!

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

No, we almost convinced him to let my brother go. But almost doesn't count.

[Private]

[goddamnwingman]

Jake? My name is Nightwing. I don't know if you've heard of me in your world, though I'm getting kind of used to that.

I'd like to help if at all possible. Getting your brother into a safe environment where the Yeerk issue can be dealt with would probably be best for everybody involved. Especially your brother. However, other than his name, there's not a lot there to go on.

[Private]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

....................Yeah, you're pretty famous where I come from. It's... I appreciate it.

This is a picture of Tom, maybe 3-4 years ago. If you see him anywhere, can you let me know?

[ skinny picture, clearly cropped; Tom has his arm wrapped around someone's shoulder next to him ]

[governorkang]

What does he look like?

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Is that an offer to help look?

[mrsarcastic003]

I... honestly don't have it in me to be rational about Yeerks. That said, if you can tell me what your brother looks like, I'll keep an eye out for him, and if I do get any information, I'll pass it along to you, or to security.

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Thank you. When you say you don't have it in you to be rational - is it personal experience?

[capture-worlds.livejournal.com]

How do these "Yeerks" enter the human body? Also, can their entry be foiled with a full-body suit?

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Yeerks enter through the ear canal to wrap around the host's brain. They have to stretch themselves pretty thin to fit, so be careful of any cracks in your suit.

On the other hand, Yeerks don't really move that fast. They probably couldn't infest anything unless it's held down for them.

[Private to Jake - unhackable 100%]

[standaloneshell.livejournal.com]

It isn't pity.

[Private]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

I'd like to know what it is, then.

[tobiasf.livejournal.com]

Hi, Jake. Sorry you had to pop into this situation. We're trying to figure out a way to help Tom.

It's good to talk to you again.

[Private]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

...Yeah.

So I never got to ask, but how are things going with your parents? Or how do you think of them, anyway?

[genociding.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, that sounds horrible.

Is there a way to get him out of your brother?

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Yes. We don't know how yet, but the answer is yes.

Unless you happen to know of something...?

[modelscientist.livejournal.com]

Unfortunate for you brother.

Is there any way to preserve Yeerk for study? Have never encountered such a species before.

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

That's not possible right now, but there is something else. They're trying to make new host body for the Yeerks to use: creating a brand new species, in other words. Have you ever done anything like that?

[Private]

[flunkingspanish.livejournal.com]

i'll keep an eye out for him.

and for the record, if the disgusting scum-sucker won't come out on its own and you need someone to help you guard it until it's withered and dead at your brother's feet, you can count me in.

[Private]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

...Thank you.

I know why I feel so strongly; can I ask about you?

[sexygman.livejournal.com]

The whole idea makes me sick. I'd pull the thing out myself if I could. It's just...it goes against everything I fight for. The slavery thing that is.

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

I really wish I could. Are you a soldier?

[tweedywatcher.livejournal.com]

It's a difficult situation....fighting evil often is. I do assume the creature is acting to ensure its own survival, but that doesn't make it right. I was used by such a creature once, but I've no memory of the incident.Fortunately, the Bezoar wasn't exactly intelligent, and it wasn't hard for my colleague to decide how to handle it. I can't imagine being trapped awake the entire time.

I'll certainly pass along anything I find out.

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that.

...And, you're probably right that the Yeerks are just doing what's natural for them: not for survival, but for something that I... wouldn't want to be without. Still, humans are capable of resisting their urges, we don't just grab whatever we want. If Yeerks are really such a superior race, they should be able to do the same.

[private to Jake]

[godbydefinition.livejournal.com]

I had heard little of the situation, before this. To consider such captivation... is appalling. Free will is one of the things that makes a human what it is, is it not?

I will assist you in any capacity possible, and keep you privy to anything I learn. Is there more information you could provide me with, in order to do so?

[private]

[mynameis-jake.livejournal.com]

I appreciate that. What can I call you?

As for Iniss, I think he'd be lying low right now, and we'd like to find him. If I give you a picture or description of his host body, would you keep an eye out?