| Hildy Gervais | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Species | |
| Host to | |
| Gender |
Male |
| Family |
Allison Kim (wife, along with Edriss 562) |
| Behind the scenes | |
| First appearance | |
| Last appearance | |
| Cause |
Rendered psychotic after bits of Essam 293's Yeerk body remained attached to his brain |
- "Your race is sick! Sick and twisted and evil!"
"We are parasites, Mr. Gervais. You’re a predator. Go ask a cow or a pig what they think of humans. We do what we are born to do." - ―Hildy and Edriss 562
Hildy Gervais was the second human host body used by Essam 293. While in Hildy's body, he and Hildy formed a partnership, falling in love with Allison Kim and her Yeerk, Edriss 562, causing the four to become married and create two children – Darwin and Madra. After the failure of their scout ship's Kandrona, Essam died of starvation; however, while crawling out of Hildy's ear, Edriss yanked the Yeerk out prematurely, causing the latter half of Essam's body to remain connected to Hildy's nerves. This rendered Hildy insane and was thus confined to a psychiatric ward. At some point after that, he became a homeless alcoholic and took on the name Spacey.
History
Infested by Essam 293
- "Essam had found and taken the human Hildy Gervais. He was often away, passing as a true human. He was gaining tremendous experience. Insight. And I got the impression that he enjoyed his human occupation."
- ―Edriss 562
Shortly after infesting Lowenstein and living out his life as a television producer, Essam 293 encountered Hildy Gervais and desired him as a host, and conspired with Edriss to eliminate Lowenstein, although not before emptying Lowenstein's bank accounts and transferring the funds to their new host bodies.
As Hildy, Essam gained a further wealth of information, experience and insight. Essam began to enjoy living as a human, as did Edriss, who was living as Allison Kim, with the two Yeerks forming a semi-voluntary partnership with their hosts. Hildy and Allison became romantically attracted to one another, with Essam developing feelings for Edriss. The pair eventually began dating, having candlelit dinners before professing their love for one another and getting married. With Edriss now his wife, Essam and Edriss decided to have children using their host bodies, and conceived a son named Darwin and a daughter named Madra, whom he came to love as well.[1]
Essam's Death
- "Hildy woke, slowly. But he was not the same human. Bits of Essam still stuck to his brain. Dead nerve endings were tied into his. Some of his neurons fired through dead Yeerk tissue. He tried to attack me. Pushed me out of the stairwell, into a corridor. He tried to choke me with his bare hands. Allison saw us fighting. Nurses and interns and security guards were running to intervene. They pulled Hildy off me. They dragged him away, raving about aliens. They held him for psychiatric observation."
- ―Edriss 562
The four parents loved and cared for their children; however, Edriss 562 and Essam 293 faced a crisis when their scout ship's onboard Kandrona begin to fail. Edriss then contacted the Yeerk Empire, outlining her plan for the invasion of Earth and the creation of The Sharing, and received a new Kandrona generator. Edriss then informed Essam that they would have to kill Hildy and Allison Kim and adopt their children using their new host bodies. Essam refused to kill Allison or Hildy, prompting Edriss to retrieve a Dracon beam and threaten to kill the children as well, reminding Essam that they were Yeerks and that she desired to become a full visser. Eager to protect her children, Allison resisted Edriss's control long enough for Essam to overpower her. Essam then forced Edriss to free Allison, placing Edriss within her alternate host, Lore David Altman, while Essam/Hildy fled with Allison and the children.
However, the children developed a fever, prompting Essam and Allison to bring them to a hospital. Edriss managed to locate her children's name on a hospital database and made her way there, where she encountered a dying Essam, starving from lack of Kandrona rays. As Essam began to flee from Hildy's body, Edriss prematurely pulled him out, ripping his body in two and causing the latter half to become fuse with Hildy's brain, rendering Hildy psychotic and causing him to attack Edriss/Lore. The altercation was witnessed by hospital staff and security guards, and Hildy was held for psychiatric evaluation, forced to live the rest of his life with dead Yeerk tissue in his brain.[1]
Future
- "Nevertheless, you and Essam became... what is the word? You became friends?"
"Much as a human can be with a Yeerk. We talked. Me and him. We were together for a long while."
"And while you were his host did you know another Yeerk who had the name of Edriss-Five-Six-Two and the rank of Sub-Visser Four-hundred-nine?"
"You mean Allison. Allison Kim. Oh yes, I remember her. See, she was Essam's wife. He was in love with her."
"And she, this Allison Kim, this Edriss-Five-Six-Two, this Sub-Visser Four hundred-nine, she was in love with him as well?"
"Yes, yes, Essam was sure of that." - ―Visser Three and Hildy Gervais
While building charges against Edriss 562, Esplin 9466 came across Hildy, who was now a homeless alcoholic going by the name Spacey. After extracting information about Edriss and Essam 293's love, marriage and subsequent children, Visser Three brought Hildy to her trial, offering him a bottle in exchange for testifying to the Council of Thirteen, revealing to them the existence of Darwin and Madra. It is unknown what happened to him after the Animorphs staged an attack during the trial.[1]
References
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