The Sacrifice
Author: K. A. Applegate
Date: 2001-03-15 04:00:00+00:00
Description: SUMMARY: The war between the Yeerks and the Animorphs is still raging. There are no more secrets but plenty of lies. The kids are fighting harder than ever and they are about to make the biggest decision--a decision that may eventually break them all. Ax and the Animorphs have known that the ultimate destruction of the Yeerk pool will give them a huge chance to take back Earth. And they have figured out a way to do it. But there's no way to destroy the pool without destroying everyone else that may be there. And there's no more time to think about it. There's only yes or no.
Publisher: New York : Scholastic, c2001.

Ax has a secret....

Clouds covered t h e m o o n . I t o o k advantage of t h e a l m o s t t o t a l darkness and quickly m o r p h e d a r a c c o o n . I was able to leave t h e camp w i t h o u t any Hork-Bajir or human s p o t t i n g me. An adult female raccoon w i t h a piece of alien technology wedged in her m o u t h . . . .

As soon as I reached w h a t I considered to be a safe distance, I removed t h e Z-space t r a n s p o n d e r f r o m my m o u t h and activated it. . . .

A f t e r a s h o r t delay, t h e r e was a response. . . .

<Aximilli-Esgarrouth-lsthill?>

<Yes.> I gave t h e p a s s w o r d to clear t h e channel f o r communication.

<Report,> came t h e c u r t c o m m a n d .

<lt is just as you predicted,> I t o l d Jaham-Estalan-Forlan, a w a r prince and chief of t h e Andalite military. <The human resistance is rapidly- losing its effectiveness. There is infighting. Tensions.

Discipline is breaking down.>

<They know nothing of o u r previous communications?>

<They know nothing,> I c o n f i r m e d . . . .

<Heads up. Something's definitely going
down.> Rachel, in bald eagle morph, braked and
swooped and circled.

James, in peregrine falcon morph, followed,
circling almost in tandem with Rachel.

That kind of close formation flying was a mis-

OCR by Nihtelek
take.

Different species of birds of prey do not typi-
cally fly together, especially in synchronized mo-
tion.

I was in northern harrier morph, several feet
above my companions and hanging back. Trying
to keep a reasonable distance between us in case
we were being observed from the ground.

1

I wondered if Rachel would rebuke James. He
on a reconnaissance mission. We were to make
was new and sometimes made minor mistakes.

note of what was happening in the city and report

But Rachel was too eager to pursue her inves-
back to our base of operations. The secret Hork-
tigation into what was taking place on the ground

Bajir camp.

below to correct James.

I doubt that Jake had anticipated anything as

I, too, said nothing to James. Of all the Ani-
dramatic as what I saw below me. It appeared
morphs, I had been most opposed to our recruit-
that the city was under military occupation.

ing handicapped young humans to be warriors

Police, uniformed military men and women,
alongside us in our fight against the Yeerks. So
and official trucks and cars blocked off many
far, the overall performance of James and the
streets.

others had set my mind somewhat at ease.

Drivers were being stopped and asked to exit

Still, I was uncomfortable treating James and
their cars. Then they were taken to join the
his team as a true part of the resistance.

crowds of people being diverted into train sta-

And even after all this time on my adopted
tions at gunpoint.

planet, Earth, I was acutely aware of being an

<What's going on?> James asked. <Are those
outsider. The only Andalite, the only alien in our
people being protected, or persecuted? Evacu-
band of guerrillas. Though on several occasions I
ated for their own protection? Or being taken
had spoken my mind, on many others I had hesi-
prisoner?>
tated to do so.

<l can't tell,> Rachel answered. <That's the

I had no real authority over James or Rachel.

problem when the good guys and the bad guys all

They were likely to reject any instructions or di-
look alike. It's hard to know who's an uninfested
rectives from me.

human and who's a Controller. This war gets

Rachel, because she listened to no one but
more complicated every day.>

Jake, and then, often with barely concealed re-

I agreed with Rachel's statement.

sentment. And James, because he acted as

My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-lsthill. It is my
leader and to some degree protector, of the seven-
real name. The others do not use their real names,
teen new recruits. James was Jake's lieutenant.

though at this point, they could do so without in-

Jake is our leader. He had sent the three of us
creasing the danger of discovery.

2

3

Our identities are known now to our enemies.

The Yeerks have already enslaved other

We have been exposed. The danger could not get
species to use as hosts. For example, the Hork-
any nearer, clearer, or greater.

Bajirand the Taxxons.

Furthermore, our best weapon, the blue box,

Hork-Bajir have excellent bodies for pur-
has fallen into the hands of the enemy. They now
poses of combat. They are seven feet tall with
have the same Andalite morphing technology as
blades on their elbows and knees, foreheads
we do.

and wrists. They somewhat resemble the long

It has always been difficult to distinguish hu-
extinct reptilian creatures humans call di-
mans from human-Controllers. At least at a
nosaurs.

glance. Now it is also difficult to distinguish real

Taxxon bodies are large and unwieldy, like a
massive sack of guts. They possess hundreds of
animals from morphed human-Controllers.

centipedelike arms and legs. Their mouths are

I don't think I'm doing a very good job of ex-
rimmed with razor-sharp teeth. Their eyes are red
plaining our situation.

and gelatinous.

Jake is very good at explaining.

Because of their voracious hunger, Taxxons

I will try again.

are excellent at instilling terror. Once they sense

A race of aliens that resemble large slugs has
blood, they cannot be turned back, even if it
invaded Earth. The aliens are called Yeerks.

means their own deaths. They are driven by a rav-

Since the Yeerks have no useful bodies of
enous hunger that never, ever abates.

their own — no means of movement, virtually no

It is difficult sometimes not to pity them.

sensory abilities —they search out host bodies.

Of course, the bodies the Yeerks covet the

They are parasites.

most are bodies like mine. Andalite bodies.

The human and the Yeerk coexist. But the re-

Andalites have four legs. This gives us the
lationship is far from symbiotic. The Yeerk is in
speed of horses. We have two pairs of eyes, one
total control.

pair on stalks. This enables us to see in all direc-

The Yeerks' plan is to use Earth as a hub
tions at once.

planet. Here they can potentially acquire mil-

We have the ability to speak without using our
lions of host bodies. A massive force of human-
mouths. This is very fortunate considering An-

Controllers will enable them to effectively push
dalites have no mouths.

out into other galaxies.

4

5

r

For purposes of combat, our tails are
equipped with a deadly sharp blade.

But it is our ability to morph, to transform
into other creatures, that makes our species the
envy of the galaxy.

Only one Yeerk has ever succeeded in acquir-
ing an Andalite body. Visser One. The leader of
the Yeerk invasion.

For that desecration of my species, I hate
him.

And for killing my brother, Elfangor.

<Okay. No doubt about what's going on,>

Rachel said angrily. <l see a pair of Hork-Bajir di-
recting people into a subway station. And the
people don't want to go. This is a Yeerk opera-
tion.>

<Oh, yeah. That roundup is definitely not for
the citizens' protection.> James said.

James was new. He was still learning. But he
was smart and learning fast.

<Human-Controllers, too,> Rachel noted.

<Guns and Dracons.>

James circled, maintaining his altitude.

<Question is, why are the Yeerks herding people
into a subway station?>

6

7

<Trains are a good way of transporting a lot of
pool has always been the one sure place we have
people at the same time. And fast,> Rachel
been able to cause serious disruption.>
replied grimly.

We, the resistance, the Animorphs, have lo-

<The Yeerk pool,> I said. <l would assume
cated, damaged, or destroyed more than one
that is their destination.>

Yeerk pool and Kandrona source.

<Where Yeerks live when they don't have a

Animorphs. Marco coined the term back be-
host body.> James. <Where they feed, too, right?

fore I was rescued and joined the team. The orig-

If the Yeerks are taking humans to the pool in big
inal members of the Animorphs are Jake, Rachel,
groups, it means they're mass-producing new

Cassie, Tobias, Marco. And me. The only An-
human-Controllers.>
dalite.

<A Controller factory. Assembly line and all.

None of us are adults. The others are now of

It's sick.>
the age to be attending what humans call "high

Rachel and James were discussing the Yeerk
school."

pools. It's a pretty basic concept. Yeerks must

We have no "high school" on the Andalite
feed every three days. The majority of Con-
home planet. But we do have the Academy. I was
trollers, not important enough to be in posses-
an aristh in the Academy. What humans would
sion of private, portable pools, must journey to a
call a "cadet."

central place to absorb the life-sustaining Kan-

My brother, Elfangor, was a great Andalite
drona rays.

military hero. He was killed here on Earth by

If the Yeerk is deprived of Kandrona rays, a

Visser One, then known as Visser Three, leader of
painful process of starvation ensues.

the Yeerk invasion.

<The Yeerk pool is only a train ride away,>

Before he died, Elfangor gave the morphing

James said wryly. <Very convenient. The Yeerks
cube to this group of human young people. The
have solved the problem of commuting. Provide
ones who call themselves the Animorphs.

your employees with free transportation.>

For a long time, we were the only ones with

<Feeding a large number of Controllers is the
the ability to morph. Us and, of course, Visser
one difficulty the Yeerks have not yet success-

One, who only had the ability because his host
fully mastered,> I said thoughtfully. <The Yeerk
body was an Andalite.

8

9

In our last major battle, the Yeerks were able
three, James and Craig and Erica. Their healthy
to steal the blue morphing cube that transfers

DNA was restored although they have sworn to
the morphing technology. Thus, we have lost our
continue life as handicapped people. For secu-
one true advantage.

rity reasons. At least until the war is over.

But while we still had the cube, Jake realized

James is a good soldier. They all are. But in-
that in order to continue the fight against the
experienced.

Yeerks we needed to increase our ranks. As I

I felt we should proceed no further on our
mentioned, I was wary of the decision to enlist
own. <We should report this to Jake immedi-
handicapped children, mostly due to their lack of
ately,> I said.

combat experience.

<No time,> Rachel replied tersely. <Ax, look

However, I could not deny that because the
at all those people being forced into the subway!

Yeerks would never consider handicapped hu-

In just a few hours, the Yeerks could produce an-
man bodies suitable hosts, these children were
other thousand human-Controllers.>
likely to be uninfested.

<So, what do we do?> James asked.

There are seventeen new recruits, including

I could hear the eagerness in his voice. The

James, the boy called Tuan, and the girls called
eagerness of a new soldier. One not yet ex-

Kelly and Collette.

hausted and sickened by war.

On my planet we call such individuals vecols.

<Let's see if we can either close that tunnel

Andalite custom ordains these disabled live in
down or slow up production.> Rachel answered.

isolation. It is largely for their own sake, as they

It was a foolish course of action. There were
would feel great shame as part of society. So it is
only three of us. Yes, we had been clever and pro-
out of respect for vecols that they are kept from
ductive in the past. But that was before the
full participation in the world.

Yeerks had forced us to become refugees.

My experiences on Earth, however, have led

<Ax?> Rachel prompted. <Are you in or are
me to question the wisdom of the Andalite cus-
you out?>
tom. Not that human custom regarding the dis-

<l think we should talk to Jake,> I repeated.

abled or handicapped is not also flawed.

<Look, those are innocent people down

As we suspected, a few of the new recruits
there.> James's voice was getting angry. <Don't
were healed by the morphing process. Only
you care?>

10

11

Innocent people.

The other group headed for Rachel.

Humans.

It was interesting that none of them pursued

Did James mean that he did not consider me

James. They must have thought he was a real fal-
part of their team because I am not human?

con. Or maybe they thought he was already dead.

I am not an adult, but I am not a child, either.

<Still want to report back?> Rachel asked.

My feelings are not easily hurt.

<l do not think it is an option now,> I replied.

But still, I could not help but think it odd that

James would seem to feel the need to instruct
me as to what emotions were appropriate in this
situation. And to question my loyalty.

I was still trying to decide what to say, when
we heard the bloodcurdling cry.

Something swooped past me, clipped my
wings, and sent me spinning.

I heard cries of surprise from James and

Rachel, too.

I righted myself in the air. Felt talons rake my
back! I shot forward, out of my attacker's clutches.

I poured on a burst of speed and wheeled to see
what had attacked.

A group of peregrine falcons, reforming to
strike again. Yeerks in morph.

I saw James bleeding and circling downward
with a broken wing.

Rachel flew, talons extended, beak open,
rushing the falcons.

The Yeerk-falcons scattered with cries of
alarm and then divided into two groups of three.

One group headed for me.

12

13

surged back, away from the subway station en-
trance. Several people were being trampled.

But the Hork-Bajir guards ignored the injured
humans. They quickly formed a barricade behind
the crowd and continued to herd their prisoners
down the station's stairs.

<Here we go!>

Whoosh!

Rachel tucked her massive wings back
against her body and zoomed down into the sub-
way station. I followed into the relative dark. My
feathers skimmed the heads of the taller hu-
mans. And every instinct of the bird and the An-
dalite recoiled at entering a confined and

Rachel and I streaked down toward the
relatively airless space headfirst.

crowd of people being hustled into the subway

Near the bottom of the stairs, first Rachel,
station.

then I thrust our feet and swept our wings for-

Several of the uninfested humans saw us and
ward to help slow us down. When we reached the
screamed. Others ducked and covered their heads
platform we righted ourselves, flapped hard to
with their arms.

maintain stable, even flight.

We must have been an odd and frightening

Rachel and I were inside the tunnel now.

sight. A screeching eagle. A northern harrier. And

And we could hear the cries of the pursuing
six peregrine falcons giving chase.

falcons.

Tseew! Tseew!

<Ax, Rachel? Can you guys hear me? If you

Dracon fire! But the beams went wide and hit
can, I demorphed, remorphed, and followed you
the concrete overhang of the subway station.

in. I'm on your tails, behind these Yeerk jerks.

Shattered the tile sign that announced the sta-

And they're even worse at flying in this place
tion's name.

than I am.>

The Dracon fire created a panic. The crowd

The fact is that peregrine falcons are incredi-

14

15
bly fast flyers. But the Yeerks' inexperience with
pulling ahead. At my estimation it was traveling
their morphs and their own arrogant characters
at approximately forty to forty-five miles per hour,
would work to our advantage now. At least I
creating the interesting optical illusion that there
hoped so.

was no separation between cars. And that we

Beneath us, humans continued to stream
were no longer moving at all.

down onto the subway platform.

In short, the train was traveling far, far faster

A train sped by. The noise was disconcerting
than any of us could fly.

to both my Andalite brain and the harrier brain.

To land would be incredibly dangerous. But it

Through the dirty windows of the train cars I saw
was the only way we could possibly outfly the
far too many scared human faces.

Yeerks.

This train was obviously Yeerk-controlled.

I kept my eyes focused for something, any-

And there was no choice but to follow it into the
thing, to grip and hold on to. After a moment or
ever-darkening tunnel. The falcons would be on
two my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could
us in moments.

make out individual components of what had

Through the tunnel we flew. We tried to fly
been just a long, blurred strip of metal. Now I
above the rushing train, not directly behind it.

saw that along the right and left side of each

<What a ride!> Rachel screamed.

car's roof was a raised'lip. <Rachel. There. On

I agreed. Even flying above the train we were
the left and right edge. A ridge.>
pulled along by its draft. Exciting, in one way.

<l see it,> Rachel responded. <James? You

Terrifying in another.

still with the Yeerks?>

But it was no use. Even with this advantage,

<Right behind you.>
the six Yeerk-infested falcons were closing in.

<Okay, Ax. Go!>

Their desire to reach us was clearly overriding
their inexperience and the difficulties of under-
ground flight.

<Land on the roof of the train!> I called.

<We'll let the train lose them for us!>

Imagine it.

The train whizzed beneath us but always

16

17

A moment later, Rachel landed on the car be-
hind me. <l SO love doing that,> she laughed.

<I'm on,> James called a moment after that.

<And I do NOT love doing that.>

Further along the dark tunnel we raced. Care-
fully, without letting go and using my wings for
balance, I glanced behind me.

We seemed to have lost our pursuers. It was
time to abandon the train before it brought us
into the Yeerk pool complex unprepared.

It was definitely time to morph.

One by one we opened our wings to catch the
current and . . .

WHOOOSH!

The train roared beneath me. I swept my

Were torn off the roof of the train, tossed
wings forward to kill air speed. It didn't slow me
backward like tumbleweeds in a tornado, tum-
down much. The drag was too great.

bling, whirling, spinning!

I hit the top of the train hard. But my talons

<Woo hoo!> Rachel, of course.

managed to catch the lip. Barely. I kept my wings

One by one we fought to get control of our
forward and the rest of me strained back to slow
bodies, land without serious injury on the tun-
my body's momentum. If I pitched forward and
nel's narrow walkway.

fell, I would have great difficulty righting myself

<This falcon is nauseous,> James said. <ls that
without letting go of the lip. And without flying
possible? Please tell me I'm not going to hurl.>
off the train and shooting headfirst into the wall

<l personally have never known a falcon to
of the tunnel.

throw up,> I said. <But you might want to de-

The effort was great but it was not the first
morph just in case.>
time I had landed on a moving vehicle. I man-

<Yeah,> Rachel said. <And then morph
aged to stay upright by hunkering down as close
something big and mean. Something that will
to the roof as I could.

help us fight our way out.>

18

19

As we've mentioned in the past, morphing

Hurriedly I completed the morph. Rachel was
isn't graceful or pretty. And it is quite unpre-
behind me. She had reversed her morph and was
dictable.

in her eagle morph again. But a bald eagle on the

SPLOOOT. SPLOOOT.

ground is not as deadly as one in the air. And it

Fortunately, my legs were the first part of my
would be difficult for her to lift off in the stifling

Andalite body to emerge. I felt a strange tingling
tunnel.

as my tail began to sprout from the harrier's tail

James, the least experienced of us, had not
feathers.

begun his remorph. He crouched against the

<There they are!> The Yeerk-falcons were
tunnel's grimy wall, reluctant to let the Yeerks
back.

identify a new human resistor. One who was sup-

And none of us was entirely finished with our
posed to be paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

morphs.

It was up to me. Only four Yeerk-falcons re-

But my Andalite tail was now fully emerged.

mained but they were angry.

The blade was in place. Along with one stalk

That's when I saw it.

eye bursting from my still-feathered head.

A low-hanging electrical conduit. Live.

<Don't let them get away!!> The angry voice

<Rachel, James,> I said in private thought-
of a Yeerk-falcon.

speak. <l am going to cut the lights. Be prepared.>

<l'll take the Andalite!> another shouted.

<Go for it, Ax-man.>

I saw the falcon hurtle toward me in the dark.

I lifted my tail and aimed. Fortunately, the

I lifted my tail, and WHAP! Sent him flying like a
blade on my tail is not metal and my hooves
tennis ball.

would ground me. I felt nothing but a slight flut-

THUMP!

ter through my body as my tail blade sliced

Five Yeerk-falcons left.

through the electrical conduit that powered the

Peregrine falcons in a pack might be a danger
tunnel's lighting system.

to a lone northern harrier, but they are a minor nui-

The dim lights in the tunnel went dark.

sance to an Andalite. A second falcon screamed

I waited the few seconds it would take my
and zoomed in toward me. I lifted my tail and the
eyes to adjust to the gloom. When they did, I still
bird was no longer a problem.

could see no more than dark and darker shapes.

20

21

<Whoa,> James whispered. <l'm almost all
lion now. The lion's eyes are seeing more than
the falcons' in this light.>

The unexpected turn of events had momen-
tarily confused the Yeerk-falcons. I heard low
muttering from them but no screams of attack.

And Rachel had begun to morph again.

It took her only moments. And then she was
a great horned owl.

The four remaining falcons had re-formed
and were coming at me. Even in the darkness
they would provide relatively easy targets.

I lifted my tail blade in preparation.

When they were only two feet away . . .

WHOOOOSH!

I did not hear Rachel fly past me. I felt

Rachel fly past me.

Owl feathers are the softest feathers imagin-
able. The result is that owls can fly making no
sound at all.

The falcons never even heard her coming.

Rachel took down the first falcon with her

22

23
talons neatly and dropping it to the tracks below.

If Rachel were an Andalite . . .

The remaining three falcons wheeled away.

But, she is not. And I am not a human.

Rachel followed them. <lt's not so easy, is it,

Only one Yeerk-falcon remained. Perhaps it

Yeerks?> she taunted. <You don't just turn into
had escaped Rachel.

animals and everything is fine. It's harder than it

But we had bigger problems now. Out of the
looks, isn't it?>
dark three Hork-Bajir came trotting toward us

The falcons crowded at a turn in the tunnel.

like commandos with a very serious purpose.

One of them collided into a wall. He let out a cry

The lights had been cut. Members of the
of alarm and fell to the ground.

resistance had been spotted entering the sub-

The Yeerk-falcons were disoriented. Confused
way station. They were coming to investigate.

and panicking.

But in the near-total blackness the Hork-Bajir

I watched as the fallen falcon demorphed and
could not see me or James directly in their path.

then began to morph to Hork-Bajir.

They could not hear Rachel coming up from be-

Before he could complete the morph, there
hind.

was a terrifying scream and a lion leaped out of

We were ready.

the dark. James.

Rachel buzzed the guards. One of the Hork-

I heard the Yeerk's last words. <No! No! Don't

Bajir reeled back and fell onto the train tracks.

want to . . . die . . . please . . . aaagh . . .>

On the way his elbow blades accidentally sliced

I did not like it. I am a soldier. But there was
into the stomach of the second Hork-Bajir. There
something unseemly about dying in a dark and
was a horrible moaning as both were electro-
filthy tunnel in midmorph.

cuted by the live third rail.

I heard a sound that was even worse. Cries of

James took care of the third Hork-Bajir.

victory and satisfaction from Rachel as she

And then with one stalk eye I spotted the re-
downed another of the falcons.

maining Yeerk-falcon streaking toward me. It was

The other Animorphs and I truly worry about
a bold and brave move but he was the enemy.

Rachel.

I lifted my tail and struck with the flat of my

On the Andalite home planet, when a warrior
blade. The blow brought him down but did not
becomes too fond of war he is shunned. A warrior
kill him.

should love only the cause not the killing.

I bent quickly and picked him up.

24

25

<Let me go!> he begged. <Please let me go. I
for this gift, Aftran had promised never to reveal
am so close. Only minutes away.>
our identities to the Yeerks.

<Minutes away from what?> I asked.

I said nothing but I released him. Gently I

<lt only takes two hours. Right? I've been a
tossed him into the air.

falcon for one hour and fifty-five minutes. In five

<Thank you!> he cried gratefully. I watched
minutes I'll be free!>
as the falcon flew off down the tunnel and disap-

So. This creature wanted to be a nothlit.

peared into the dark.

Wanted to be trapped in his morph.

I did not notice Rachel zooming after him.

<You will not be free. You will still be a Yeerk
inside,> I pointed out.

<l will be free,> the falcon insisted. <l will fly.

I will see. No more need for Kandrona. No more
orders, no more of this horrible war. I'll just fly
away.>

I understood. This creature was like Tobias,
my true shorm. What a human would call my

"best friend."

Tobias was once a human boy. A very unhappy
human boy. He stayed in red-tailed hawk morph
for longer than two hours. I suspect he did it on
purpose. It was his way of escaping the complex-
ities of human life. Although he exchanged them
for a new set of complexities.

It was logical that among the Yeerks there
might also be those who felt overwhelmed by the
demands of war. I knew of the Yeerk resistance.

With Cassie's encouragement we had allowed
one of its freedom fighters to morph a humpback
whale and escape life as a parasite. In exchange

26

27

Rachel came flapping toward me out of the
darkness.

James appeared not far behind her, big paws
stepping slowly and cautiously along the narrow
walkway, shaggy lion's head watching. Observing.

There was blood on his jowls and paws.

<The Hork-Bajir took off down tunnel,> he
said. <Limping, actually. I didn't stop him but I
managed to slow him down.>

Rachel landed on the ground with a flourish
of her soft-feathered wings. <Good job, James.

You, too, Ax.>

<l think we have done what we came in to ac-
complish.> I said.

<Aaaaaahhhh!>

<Are you kidding?> Rachel argued. <We've

Suddenly, there was an eruption of screams
got the Yeerks on the run! We're right here in the
and screeches from down the tunnel. A human
tunnel! Let's do some serious damage!>
voice. The cries of a peregrine falcon.

I tried to keep my voice from showing my im-

Rachel.

patience. And I resolved to tell Jake that Rachel

Had she caught the Yeerk-falcon?

was unfit for missions without him. Her eager-

I did not know.

ness to fight was getting to be too much.

I did not want to know.

<Rachel, there are only three of us,> I said

But our ill-conceived, spur-of-the-moment
reasonably. <And I think we would do better to
mission had not succeeded. Had any of us really
learn more about this operation before we strike
thought we would be able to stop the train full of
again with a larger and more prepared force.>
prisoners and thereby slow the Yeerk infestation

Rachel's large owl eyes blinked. I could not
of new hosts?

tell if her response was hostile or thoughtful.

Our next step was clear.

<Okay,> she said after a long silence. <You're

We needed to get out. Quickly.

right. I'm going Hork-Bajir. Follow the group that

28

29
went down the tunnel and see what I can find
who better understood when to fight and when to
out. I'll just see what I can see. I won't fight. Give
watch.

me half an hour.>

Someone who understood tactics.

I said nothing.

Someone who understood me.

<That okay with you, Ax?> she asked. Now I

I watched silently as Rachel morphed. As she
trotted awkwardly along the tunnel's narrow
heard definite antagonism in her voice.

walkway into the darkness beyond.

<l am not in charge,> I said shortly. <lf you

And I sincerely hoped for her safe return.

choose to investigate further, that is your deci-
sion.>

There was a long pause.

James finally spoke. <Ax is right. We need to
be careful. You go Hork-Bajir, Rachel. See what
you can find out. But we'll wait here. Just in
case.>

<lf I don't come back, don't come after me,>

Rachel said unnecessarily.

We would not.

The resistance could not afford to lose even
one member now. And certainly not three. We
shouldn't have been in the subway station in the
first place.

We had not even managed to stop one train-
load of prisoners. And undoubtedly there were
many tunnels and many trains.

We had done nothing but put the enemy on
high alert. And endangered our own lives.

I wished now not for Jake, but for an Andalite
commander. An experienced soldier. Someone

30

31

Now the muddy and primitive camp is full,
crowded, and contentious.

There are the free Hork-Bajir.

But there are also humans.

There is Marco, his father, and his mother,

Eva, who was once host body of the former Visser

One. That Yeerk is now dead and Eva is free. Re-
united with her husband and her son.

Living with Marco's parents is a young girl
named Elena who is blind when not in morph.

Rachel gave her the morphing technology and al-
lowed Elena to acquire her. Our mission to re-
cruit several children from a school for the blind
failed. Elena managed to escape the Yeerks in

Three hours later we were back at camp.

her Rachel morph. Now she lives as a refugee
and cannot, for security reasons, return to the

All of us.

school or her parents. She is sad for her losses

It was late afternoon and the sun was setting
but slowly adjusting to her new life.

behind the canopy of trees that kept our camp

Also in the camp are Cassie and her parents,
from being seen from above.

Michelle and Walter, both veterinarians. Tobias

Camp consisted of a muddy, wooded, and
and his mother, Loren, too. Loren has no memory
heavily guarded compound built by a colony of
of Tobias's father, Elfangor. My brother.

free Hork-Bajir. Rebel Hork-Bajir who had es-

And there is Rachel's mother, Naomi, and
caped the tyranny of the Yeerks and had gone

Rachel's two younger sisters, Sara and Jordan.

into hiding.

Rachel's mother is quite quarrelsome. I am

Their leader was Toby.

told that is because she is something called a

When the Yeerks discovered the true identity

"lawyer." A lawyer seems to be an odd type of
of the resistance we, the Animorphs, evacuated
human. Intelligent but in a way that is not terri-
our homes immediately.

32

33
spotted some Taxxons at work on what looked
bly useful. At least to my Andalite sensibilities.

like another new line."

All they seem to use their intellect for is argu-

"When you think how fast the Yeerks can
ment. Not philosophical contemplation or artis-
move hundreds, maybe thousands of people in
tic pursuit.

and out of the central pool . . ."

I am told that although people often find

James did not need to finish his sentence. We
themselves in need of a lawyer, lawyers are not
all understood the implications of the Yeerks'

very popular. After the last few days, I under-
newest scheme.

stand why.

With that kind of rapid expansion system in

Lastly, there is Jake.

place in cities throughout the world, the Yeerks

Jake's family is not in our camp. Jake's
could rule Earth in what would seem like no time
brother, Tom, has been a Controller from the
at all.

early days of the invasion. Recently, Jake's par-

"They're probably bringing in transports of
ents were captured by the Yeerks — with Tom's
unhosted Yeerks," Marco said grimly. "Why should
help — and made into human-Controllers.

the Yeerks stay on their own planet when they

This has made Jake very withdrawn. For a
can take over this one, have an unlimited supply
time he said he did not want to lead us anymore.

of hosts, and pretty much unimpeded access to a

Our morale suffered.

feeding pool?"

Now, after our last confrontation with Tom,

<So, we're dead?> Tobias said.

during which we lost the morphing cube to the

Toby, who was sitting in with us, shook her

Yeerks, Jake is beginning to take charge again.

head. "Not necessarily. If the Yeerks are concen-

He is still somewhat depressed and often angry.

trating here, on this planet, around this pool,

But as he listened to Rachel's report his face
then . . ."

showed interest.

Marco grinned. "Right. They can move Yeerks

"The Yeerks used what they had. They ex-
in in big numbers. But we can take them out in
tended the existing subway tunnels using Taxxon
big numbers."

labor," Rachel was telling him. "We know what

"How?" Rachel asked eagerly.

effective diggers Taxxons are. Now the trains run

"A subway train loaded with explosives,"

all the way to the main pool. My estimate is that

Marco said. "A small nuke if we could get our
there are at least six lines leading to it. And I

35

34
hands on one. Run that puppy at full speed, det-

Rachel stood and looked angrily around the
onate it in the Yeerk pool, big BOOM! 'Bye-'bye
circle of faces. "You're kidding, right? I mean,

Yeerks."

you think saving the earth really demands a

Cassie took a deep breath before she spoke.

vote?"

"You can't be serious."

"The ends simply don't justify the means,"

"Why not?" Rachel.

Cassie said softly.

Cassie looked at Jake. Jake looked away.

Rachel glared angrily at her. "You weren't

"Think! Those trains are full of people being
there," she said. "You didn't see what we saw. It
taken to the Yeerk pool for infestation. We'd be
was like some old World War Two newsreel or
killing thousands of Yeerks, yes. But we'd also be
something. People being rounded up and forced
killing thousands of people who want nothing
at gunpoint onto trains. Men, women, old people,
more than to go home and forget any of this ever
and kids. It's like the Yeerks don't even care any-
happened."

more about finding the healthiest and strongest

<We've been down this path before,> Tobias
to infest. They're taking everyone. Quantity over
quality."

agreed. <Cassie's right. We're supposed to be
saving humanity. Not slaughtering people who

Cassie waved her hands in frustration. "Ex-
actly. And those are the people you would kill
have the bad luck to get in the way.> He looked
while you're trying to stop the Yeerks. Little kids.

pointedly at Marco. <Think about it. Your mom

Retirees. Someone's grandparents."

could still be down there.>

"You know, we won't actually be using a

Marco lowered his eyes. But only for a mo-
nuke," Marco said quietly. "Not that that changes
ment. Then he lifted them and looked at Jake.

things much," he admitted.

We all looked at Jake.

There was a long, long silence. I could see

His brother. His mother. His father. Any of
each one of them grappling with his or her con-
them. All of them. Tom could be stationed at that
science.

Yeerk pool. Jake's parents, low-level, unwilling

Toby stared stolidly into space. Her home

Controllers, could be trapped down there in
planet had been through a devastating war with
cages while their Yeerks fed on Kandrona.

the Yeerks. Most of her people had not survived.

Jake's face turned pale. "I'm not making this

The majority of the ones who had were now Hork-
decision. It has to be a vote."

36

37

Bajir-Controllers. A smaller number of survivors
or children of survivors were here in the camp.

Frankly, I did not know what her vote would
be. I could not read her inscrutable expression.

But I knew that, like me, Toby understood
that she was an outsider here on Earth. That her
ideas and experiences were her own. And that
she often did not understand human thought
processes or emotions.

I was surprised when she spoke. "This is a
war," she said quietly. "There is no question that
people will die. The only question is, who?"

There was another long pause.

<Okay,> Tobias said finally. <l guess that sort
of sums it up.> He was trying to sound uncon-

Two hours later we were still strategizing.

cerned but his voice quivered.

Marco was correct in stating that nuclear weap-

Rachel's voice, on the other hand, was firm
ons, fairly primitive explosives by Andalite stan-
and unhesitating. "I don't know about you guys,
dards, are very difficult for the average citizen to
but I'm thinking it's time to explode a big 'ole
procure.

bomb."

This is a good thing.

It wasn't that long ago when we had just

"And you couldn't be happier," Cassie said
barely succeeded in averting a Yeerk-instigated
bitterly to Rachel. "Could you?"

World War III. There was a fierce battle on board
a United States Navy aircraft carrier. Many, many
innocent American men and women were killed.

And it was likely that the few survivors were trau-
matized by the brutal attack of Yeerk-infested
humans and battalions of Hork-Bajir- and

Taxxon-Controllers.

38

39

Near the end of that horrible battle I had not
just days from the governor's televised warning,
listened to Jake. I had even gone so far as to knock
once again discussing the total destruction of the
him unconscious so that I could carry out a des-

Yeerks' main feeding operation.

perate plan without interference. A plan that

We sat by a low campfire, studying a map of
seemed to me the only way to a possible victory.

the county spread out on an old picnic table.

My actions were in some ways traitorous. But

We were minus James, who had gone back to
in other ways, they were necessary.

the hospital where he lived. It was essential for

Against express orders I kidnapped Visser Two
the new recruits to remain undercover for as long
and commandeered an F-14D Tomcat. The Yeerks
as possible. We were also minus Toby. She had
had fitted out the plane with a nuclear weapon.

been asked to help settle a dispute between one

Once in the air with my captive I threatened to
of the older Hork-Bajir and Rachel's mother.

drop the nuclear weapon directly over the Yeerk

Marco pointed to a military base on the map.

pool. The result of such an action would have

"This place might be storing nuclear weapons.

been not only the utter destruction of the pool

But like I said before, even if we managed to get
complex itself, but also severe damage to my
in past security and steal a nuke, we wouldn't be
friends' community and the inevitable loss of
able to use it. It would take us too long to figure
thousands of human lives.

out its security codes. Way elaborate. By the time

It was a calculated risk, a terrible gamble.

we knew what we were doing, the military would

Threaten to kill thousands to save millions,
know what we were doing, too."

maybe billions. Thankfully, my plan worked. Vis-

"What if we had help from the Chee?" Jake
ser Two agreed to call off the planned nuclear
asked.

strike against China if I would promise not to

Tobias blinked fiercely. <The Chee won't help
drop a bomb on the Yeerk pool.

us. Not with something like this. Something

Would I have followed through on my threat if
overtly aggressive.>

Visser Two had not complied? Could I have?

The Chee are a race of androids who live here

To this day I have no answer to either of those
on Earth. They are incredibly brilliant. And their
questions.

technical capabilities are more advanced even

Now, here we were, not long after the very
than those of the Andalites.

public incident on the USS George Washington,

However, the Chee are hard-wired pacifists.

40

41

They will help us defend ourselves. But they
sure that Lieutenant Colonel Larsen is still with
would never help us with an assault.

the governor. I mean, where is he while all of this

"Tobias is right. The Chee won't help us,"

Yeerk movement is going down? Where's the gov-

Jake mused. "Everything about this idea is
ernor? For that matter, where's our buddy Collins?

against who they are and what they're all about."

Guy took a Dracon to the shoulder and still re-

"Back to the problem," Marco continued. "We
fused to go off duty. I wouldn't mind him on our
don't really even need a nuke. We'll go with
team right about now.>
garden-variety explosives."

<Yeah.> Jake nodded. <Good guys. But I'm

Jake lifted an eyebrow. "Such as?"

not sure we can count on our old allies anymore.

Marco shrugged. "Such as dynamite. Okay.

Something tells me they've probably been taken.

Look." Marco pointed to a red circle on the map.

Let's face it. The governor seriously ticked off

"This is a National Guard installation. They do a

Visser One.>
lot of roadwork, forestry, and fire fighting in the

<So who can we count on? Okay, maybe we'll
national parks. Other public works. That means
run into an uninfested National Guard comman-
they've probably got some sort of armory, stores
der, but maybe not. Who do we have for sure?>
of dynamite, maybe other explosives."

Tobias mused.

"I'm sure potentially dangerous materials like

"Us. And I mean all of us," Rachel said excit-
dynamite and bombs are under pretty heavy lock
edly. "The six of us. James and the new guys.

and key," Cassie pointed out. "We're still going

Parents. Toby and what Hork-Bajir soldiers she
to have to get past all sorts of security."

can spare. It'll be the most major operation we've

Marco shrugged. "Hey. I never said it was go-
launched so far."

ing to be easy. All I'm saying is that if we can get

"That's the entire resistance," Jake said.

hold of enough dynamite, we could pack a train

"Risking the whole team on one mission."

with it and ram the pool. Put some major hurt on

Cassie.

theYeerks."

There was a long pause.

Jake nodded. "Yeah. The question is how."

<You know, maybe we should rethink this,>

"We've got some friends in the National

Tobias said.

Guard, don't we?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, we should," Cassie agreed. "This mis-

Marco frowned. <Do we? We don't know for
sion is way too heavy with bad karma."

42

43

Jake turned on her angrily. "Look, Cassie, it
would be nice if we had more choices. But now
that the Yeerks have morphing technology, we've
lost our major edge. Which means that now we
have to take some major unpleasant risks."

His voice was angry. Sarcastic. Accusatory.

I had never heard Jake speak that way to any-
one.

And since his friendship with Cassie is quite
special, his tone was even more surprising.

Cassie looked stricken. I wondered if she
would answer him with equal passion. But she
did not. Instead, she looked as if she might cry.

The others looked at one another, bewildered.

Late that night I took the Z-space transpon-

It was almost as if Jake were blaming Cassie for
der.

the Yeerk acquisition of morphing technology.

It was necessary to avoid detection by any of

I shifted my weight from one leg to the other
the camp's inhabitants.

and observed the humans around me.

It was also necessary to avoid detection by

Relationships were changing.

any Yeerk spies.

Loyalties were shifting.

Since the Yeerks had taken the morphing

There were unspoken animosities and hidden
technology, any animal spotted in the camp or its
agendas.

environs was suspect. Every singing bird a poten-

The decisions were becoming more about
tial enemy. Any scurrying vole a possible traitor
emotions than tactics. The resistance was jeop-
to our cause.

ardizing its ability to be effective.

Therefore, each of us had acquired several

I had been told this might happen.

additional morphs native to the camp's wooded
mountain environment. We routinely used these
common, largely innocuous morphs to get about

44

45
at night or when we had to leave the camp's

<Aximili-Esgarrouth-lsthill?>
perimeters. At night, a lone Animorph was more

<Yes.> I gave the password to clear the chan-
vulnerable to attack. But just as we could not at-
nel for communication.

tack and kill every living creature that passed

<Report,> came the curt command.

through the camp, neither could a Yeerk in

<lt is just as you predicted,> I told Jaham-
morph attack and kill every waddling woodchuck

Estalan-Forlan, a war prince and chief of the An-
dalite military. <The human resistance is rapidly
or slithering snake.

losing its effectiveness. There is infighting. Ten-

Clouds covered the moon. I took advantage of
sions. Discipline is breaking down.>
the almost total darkness and quickly morphed a

<They know nothing of our previous commu-
raccoon. I was able to leave the camp without
nications?>
any Hork-Bajir or human lookout spotting me. An

<They know nothings I confirmed.

adult female raccoon with a piece of alien tech-

<Good.>
nology wedged in her mouth.

<The Yeerk concentration here is escalating.

I scurried off into the night. I would not have

They are forcibly transporting thousands of hu-
much time and I did not want to bring the Yeerks
mans to the central Yeerk pool via the subway
too close to the camp.

system. In retaliation, the resistance is planning

As soon as I reached what I considered to be
the destruction of that central pool.>
a safe distance, I removed the Z-space transpon-

Jaham-Estalan-Forlan made a sound of impa-
der from my mouth and activated it. The raccoon's
tience. <Do they truly believe they can defeat the
small and dexterous "hands" were strangely simi-

Yeerks by destroying only one central pool?>
lar to those of an Andalite and were perfectly

I felt a need to defend my friends. <lt is
suited to the task. The morph had become a new
all they can do — for now.> Then I realized my
favorite of mine.

defense would only increase Jaham-Estalan-

I listened as the waves warped and wove

Forlan's contempt for the human race. He would
through galaxies, finding their way to the An-
think that if the resistance could muster no bet-
dalite home planet.

ter defense than my excuse-making, they would

After a short delay, there was a response.

not be worth saving.

Coded, yes. But a code that had been carefully

<The high command has met and made their
worked out. Numeric but thoughtspoken.

46

47
decision. If the Yeerks are indeed concentrating

The high command might disdain the hu-
on the planet Earth, we must allow their plan to
mans, but they knew from my reports that hu-
continue. Once the bulk of the Yeerk race has
mans were very ingenious. Very determined. Very
been transported, the planet can be quaran-
tenacious.

tined^

Millions of Yeerks with human hosts would

Quarantined.

constitute an intolerable threat.

A polite word for consigning the human race

A quarantine would never hold. Not even if
to a life of slavery under the Yeerks.

every ship in the Andalite fleet were assigned to
police the perimeters of Earth's atmosphere.

I thought about Jake. The others. Tobias. Af-

The Yeerk-human axis would push out. And it
ter all our time together, I felt affection for them.

would conquer everything in its path.

<Aximili? Did you hear me?>

<Has there been any change in technology

Yes, I felt affection. But I was still an An-
acquisition?> Jaham-Estalan-Forlan asked.

dalite. I was still a soldier. And this was still a

I knew I should tell him that the Yeerks were
war.

now in posession of morphing technology. But I

<l heard,> I responded.

did not. <No,> I said.

<Do nothing to hamper the Yeerk concentra-

Perhaps I would tell the truth later. I wanted
tion on Earth. Stop the resistance's attack on the
time to consider. To think how such a revelation
pool. We must let the Yeerks believe they have
would affect the Andalite high command's plans
won. Do you uhderstand?>
for the planet.

I did.

It was an undisciplined decision, my decision

Would Jake?

to withhold the truth. It was not my place to

Would the others?

second-guess the decisions of my superiors. Per-

Never.

haps I had been on Earth too long.

<Once the planet is quarantined,> War Prince

Suddenly I could hear Bug fighters in the dis-

Jaham continued, <we will be in a position to ne-
tance, drawn to the signals they had picked up
gotiate. We will mediate a peaceful symbiosis be-
from the Z-space transponder.

tween humans and Yeerks.>

Quickly I severed the connection and began

I wondered if this was an accurate description
to demorph and remorph to horned owl, an excel-
of the Andalite high command's intention.

48

49
lent form of night transport. The Zero-space
just keep going. Perhaps become a nothlit. Be
transponder was small enough to carry in my
free of the terrible burdens of secrecy and be-
trayal.

talons.

I remembered the Yeerk falcon. Five minutes

By the time the Bug fighters were hovering
away from freedom.

over my previous position, I was winging my way

But the price of that freedom was high.

unseen back to camp.

Maybe too high.

Quarantine.

Quarantine.

Quarantine.

It was just a way of saying what could not be
said over any channel of communication, no
matter how secure. Because it was something
that could not even be said in the chambers of
the high command.

The stated goal would be to quarantine.

The orders would say to quarantine.

But what everyone would understand is that a
quarantine would be impossible to sustain.

To enforce a quarantine, the Andalite fleet
would be forced to engage.

And once they engaged, they would annihi-
late the planet and every living thing on it. Yeerk
and human.

Quarantine was the first step toward geno-
cide.

The high command had made its decision.

The Yeerk conquest of the galaxy would stop here
on Earth.

The camp came into view. I wished I could

50

51

"We could kill them all with ten or twelve
thousand-pound bombs," Marco's dad amended.

"In an enclosed space an explosion of even one
thousand-pound bomb would have incredible
magnitude. The devastation would be close to
that of an atomic explosion."

Rachel nodded with satisfaction. "We'd be
going seriously medieval on Yeerk butt."

"The big question is: How?" Jake asked. "We
talked about this before. We'd have to commit
everything. Everybody. Animorphs, all of us.

Hork-Bajir. Parents."

"I'm out," Cassie said hotly. "I thought that
maybe . . . But I can't. And I can tell you my par-

The next morning, Jake gathered us together
ents are out, too."

to finalize our plans.

Rachel glared at her. "Okay, Cassie," she said

The Animorphs were there, Tobias in human
in a sarcastic-sweet tone. "So, what do you think
form. Toby was there. James was there on behalf
we should do instead? Just sit here and wait for
of the new recruits. And Marco's parents were
the Yeerks to find us? Or maybe we should make
it real easy on them and all go hop on the train
present.

for a little swim in the pool."

"I've been on the computer all night," Marco

"Why do you have to be so horrible?" Cassie
said. "All of us. Me, Mom, and Dad. We hacked
exploded. "You are, you know. And you get worse
into nearly every file on the National Guard base.

every day. Your own mother can't even stand

Bottom line? They've got a big warehouse full of
you."

thousand-pound bombs."

Cassie turned to walk away, but Jake grabbed

"Yes!" Rachel grinned. "Major firepower."

her sleeve. "Cassie! Come on."

Marco's mother looked exhausted. "We could

"Come on what!" Cassie spit. "You don't
kill a lot of slugs with one thousand-pound
knowingly take innocent life. Not if you're a de-
bomb."

52

53
cent person. Not if you're not a murderer. The

"Oh, Cassie," Eva murmured.

goal is irrelevant. I thought you knew that, Jake,

"You did what?!" Marco said, his voice hoarse.

"Tom had it. He had the cube. The only way
but apparently . . ."

Jake was going to get it from him was to kill him.

"Apparently you decided to start making de-

I couldn't let Jake do that. I couldn't. I was trying
cisions for me!" Jake shouted back. "Somewhere
to protect him."

along the line you decided that you knew what

"You were trying to protect Jake so you basi-
was best. For me. For everybody. Well, guess
cally sold out the rest of the human race?"

what?"

Rachel said. Her voice was tight. The voice of

Cassie put her hands in front of her as if she
controlled ferocity. Violence just barely con-
were going to shove Jake away. "Don't. Stop! Just
tained.

don't. Please."

"I'm sure she didn't think of it in those

The rest of the assembled group was silent. I
terms," Tobias said softly.

believe it is safe to say that none of us under-

"I didn't think at all," Cassie said, her voice
stood what was causing Jake and Cassie to argue
exhausted and full of grief. "It was more of an
so furiously.

impulse. An instinct. Something inside just told

Tears began to roll down Cassie's cheeks.

me to let Tom take the cube. I knew . . . I knew I

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have done it. I was making a sacrifice. That I was sacrificing so
don't even really know why I did it. I . . . At that
much . . . maybe now it seems stupid. But at
moment it seemed the right thing to do. The only
that moment I thought I was doing the right
thing. Now, I'm just sorry. I'm sorry."

thing. I really did."

"What is she talking about?" Marco whis-

Rachel lifted her hand. Began to make a fist.

pered.

Tobias grabbed her wrist.

"It was me!" Cassie shouted. "I gave the

And surprisingly, Jake pulled Cassie to him

Yeerks the morphing cube. I let Tom run away
and embraced her.

with it. I stopped Jake from chasing him. From

Cassie leaned her head on his shoulder.

killing him. Me!"

Jake pressed his cheek against her hair. "It's

I felt my back legs weaken slightly.

okay, Cassie," he said, his voice ragged. "I'm

Cassie? A traitor?

sorry. It's okay."

It did not seem possible.

55

54

Embarrassed, I averted my eyes.

After several moments Cassie withdrew from

Jake's arms and faced the rest of us. "I am so
sorry. I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. I
won't do it again. I won't try to decide what's
right for everyone. It was arrogant and danger-
ous. I didn't mean it to be but it was."

Jake ran his hands through his hair. "Look.

This is hard stuff. But we've got to work as a
team. We don't have room for individual agen-
das. We go or we don't go. But either way . . ."

Jake's voice droned on. But I was no longer
listening.

I could not stop looking at Cassie.

I was not exactly sure what I was feeling.

Toby spoke in her guttural voice. "My people

But I was sure it was very close to hatred.

are tired of hiding. We are a peaceful species.

But we will fight. It is better than always living in
fear."

"I'm with Toby," Marco said. "Dad? Mom?"

Marco's mother nodded grimly. "I've had the
worst of the Yeerk high command living in my
head. I know there's no appeasement. My advice
is to fight. Go in. Clean house. Do as much dam-
age as we can. Visser One does not cope well
with setbacks. If we do enough damage, we
could possibly chase the Yeerks off Earth."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked.

"The former Visser One didn't advocate all-
out war because she knew Earth was too volatile.

56

57

The inhabitants too resistant. The Yeerks are
we can at least move them off Earth," Marco
used to tractable host bodies. Humans are a
said.

fighting race. They fight invaders. They fight each

"And inflict them on another species?"

other. They don't give up easily. The current

Cassie.

Visser One has never really understood that."

Toby's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps not. With

"So?" Jake pressed.

help from the Andalite fleet, perhaps we could

"So, knowing something about the Yeerk High
keep the Yeerks from settling anywhere."

Council, I'm thinking it's likely Visser One's been

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

warned that one more major attack on a site of

"We chase them into Zero-space and the An-
concentration, or one more major disaster like
dalite fleet ambushes them there. Effectively
what happened on the aircraft carrier, or one
wipes them out."

more public announcement by the governor call-

Jake's eyes narrowed as he considered the
ing for resistance, just might mean the end of his
possibility. "We don't know what we can count on
domination here. It might mean the Yeerks would
from the Andalite fleet, as long as the Yeerks are
decide to move their base of operations to some

Earth's problem. But maybe Toby's right. If we
other planet. Let's face it. With the ability to
can chase the Yeerks off Earth and make them
morph, the Yeerks don't really need humans.

the Andalites' problem, the Andalites would be

They could make do with another species on an-
forced to act. Ax?"

other planet, a species less aggressive than hu-

My hearts thundered. I felt ill with anger. And
mans."

something close to guilt. <lt is hard to know what

There was a long silence.

the Andalite high command would order,> I said,

"I'm not sure that's good news for the rest of
my voice cold.

the world," Jake commented.

"Fair enough," Jake said. But he gave me an

"But it's good news for us. Earth is Visser
odd look. "In any event, step one is to blow the

One's personal fiefdom," Marco's father said. "If

Yeerk pool."

the Yeerks are forced to leave Earth, Visser One's

I said nothing.

back to being a subvisser somewhere."

Should I have told the high command every-

"We may not be able to defeat the Yeerks, but
thing?

58

59

Yes. I should have. Without doubt.

Perhaps I should contact War Prince Jaham-

They needed to know that the entire situation

Estalan-Forlan and tell him I had been inter-
on Earth was changing.

rupted by Bug fighters before making a full

Because of one human.

report. I could tell him that the Yeerks had ac-

Because of Cassie.

quired Andalite morphing technology.

Of course, it has always been a possibility

And I could tell him that if the Andalite high
that the enemy might somehow acquire morph-
command was going to quarantine the planet,
ing technology, either through conquest or guile.

they needed to do it quickly.

War is about losses as well as victories.

"Let's go back to the attack," Marco said.

But to surrender without struggle your most im-

"Cassie may have been a major idiot for about
portant piece of technology .. . strategy . . . de-
half a second, but she's right now. If there are in-
fense . . . It was simply incomprehensible to me.

nocent people trapped down in the tunnel, how

It was also incomprehensible to me that Cassie
can we justify blowing it up?"

was allowed to participate in this discussion.

"What if we gave them time to escape," To-

On my own planet, she would have been tried
bias suggested. "I mean, what if somehow, just
for treason and executed immediately.

before the explosion, we told everyone on site

And yet, the others continued to consult her.

that the pool was about to blow. The humans and

My hatred for Cassie began to extend to them
the human-Controllers would probably run for
all. They were fools. They would never prevail.

their lives. The Yeerks in their heads will starve

They were too soft. Too sentimental. Too childish.

without the pool, but the humans would live.

Too stupid and ignorant.

See? We save the humans, kill the Yeerks, and

Stupidity and ignorance within one's own
wipe out a major infestation center."

ranks are more dangerous opponents than an

Marco nodded. "That works for me. I mean,
outside enemy could ever be. I had been taught
at least it gives people a chance. Some of them,
that lesson in the military academy. Now I had
anyway."

been given an object lesson that proved the

One by one, each of the group nodded. Each
principle.

signaled his or her approval of the plan.

As the humans continued to plan and plot,

Each person but Cassie. She stared at the
my mind raced. I did not know what to do.

ground. Her cheeks were stained with tears.

60

61

For a long time, I have regarded Rachel as

No one seemed to know what to say to her.

representing one end of the continuum of human

Finally, Jake spoke. "Cassie?"

nature. What all humans would become if the

Cassie shook her head. "I'll do whatever you
war went on long enough.

guys say."

That perception has guided many of my deci-

"That's not good enough, Cassie," Jake said.

sions.

"You've always had definite ideas about what we

An entire human race of Rachels — angry,
should or shouldn't do. Don't weasel now."

merciless, aggressive, and equipped with Yeerk

Cassie lifted her face. "Okay. Then it's wrong.

and Andalite technology. It was a terrifying specter.

But let's do it anyway. I'll learn to live with my

But perhaps . ... perhaps I had been wrong.

conscience. We all will. I don't have a better

Perhaps the real menace lay at the other end
plan. I guess this is as close as we'll get to de-
of the continuum — represented by Cassie. Hu-
feating the Yeerks without being the Yeerks."

mans who were softer. Kinder. Well-meaning.

Jake's face relaxed. I saw the faintest hint of

And, ironically, infinitely more dangerous.

a smile. Almost of relief.

He addressed the group. "Look. Cassie did
what she did. She had her reasons. I don't under-
stand them so I can't say if they were right or
wrong. But her decision to let Tom get away with
the morphing cube changed the equation. Still, I
trust Cassie's instincts. Even more than my own.

Especially my own these days. So let's just re-
adopt this phrase as our guideline. Defeat the

Yeerks. Don't become them."

He did not look directly at Rachel, but I knew
he was telling her to restrain her violent im-
pulses.

I remembered again the desperate falcon.

The one who yearned for freedom. Had he found
it in the sky, or in death?

63

62

But I've already made my apologies. Why do I
have to go through this again with you?"

I was angry. So angry the blade on my tail was
quivering. <Because my brother, Elfangor, gave
the cube to you. To you and your friends. He
compromised everything he stood for by giving it
to you. He betrayed the laws of his own people.

He placed his trust in five humans. I am trying to
understand why you would betray him in return.

Why you would betray your friends. And why you
would betray your people.>

They were harsh words.

But I had a right to say those harsh words.

Because it was my brother, my people, and my

That night, I asked Cassie if I might speak
planet's technology that had been abused.

with her privately.

According to Cassie, she had sacrificed them

She was subdued. Still shaken after our meet-
all on no more than an instinct. An impulse.

ing. "Let's go sit somewhere quiet and dark," she

I had to think there was a better reason.

said.

If not, then I could not help but believe that

We walked together to the far perimeter of the
the high command had every right to annihilate
camp. A free Hork-Bajir sat high up in a tree
this planet. And I would tell them so tonight.

Humans were a retrograde species — de-
branch keeping watch. But he paid little atten-
structive, violent, and at the mercy of their emo-
tion to us.

tions. Unable to make personal sacrifices or set

Cassie folded her arms across her chest and
aside personal agendas on behalf of a larger
sighed.

<Tell me about the morphing cube,> I said.

cause.

<Why did you keep Jake from chasing Tom?>

Cassie's head dropped. She put her hands

"Look, Ax. I already feel like a criminal. Okay?

over her face. "Oh, Ax, you're right." Her voice

64

65
broke. "I did betray Elfangor. I never thought
now, in retrospect, maybe letting the Yeerks have
about how you would feel."

the morphing technology is the way to peace."

<No,> I agreed coldly. <l am still trying to un-

My back legs felt as if they might collapse.

derstand what it was you did think.>

For one person to make a decision so momentous

Cassie rubbed her temples, as if she were
and act on it without first talking to anyone . . . It
struggling with memories she would prefer to
was unthinkable.

suppress. "I suppose . . . I suppose . . ."

And yet my conscience nagged uncomfort-

She stared at me, almost fearfully. "It wasn't
ably. Hadn't I acted similarly? Hadn't I acted
just about Tom. It wasn't just about Jake."

without the permission of my prince? Hadn't I as-

<Then what was it about? What did you think
sumed the right to take an enormous risk with
human lives when I commandeered the plane fit-
you were doing?>
ted out with a nuclear weapon, kidnapped Visser

"Ax," she whispered, as one about to voice a

Two, and threatened to explode the bomb di-
terrible secret. "I just know there are so many
rectly over the Yeerk pool? Such an explosion

Yeerks who would defect if they could. Aftran
would have destroyed most if not all of my
wasn't the only one, we know that. There's always
friends' hometown and most if not all of its citi-
been a group of Yeerks who can't stand the no-
zens.

tion of infestation. Who don't want to be para-

The memory was too troubling. I chased it
sites. Who don't want to be slavish followers of
away and reached wildly for a way to continue to
the vissers! Remember the first battle with the
separate myself from Cassie.

new recruits, when Visser One was in that horri-

Perhaps Jake had known what Cassie was go-
ble morph and choking Jake to death? Remem-
ing to do. Suspicion grew in my hearts. <Does
ber how that Hork-Bajir cut off one of the visser's

Jake agree with this assessment?> I asked coldly.

tentacles and freed Jake? Some of the Yeerks
just want to be free! Now, with the ability to

Cassie shook her head. "No. No. I haven't
morph, maybe they can be. We can't fight on for-
told anyone any of this. I can't. Can you imagine
ever. Not just us. And it's beginning to look as if
what the others would say? Can't you just hear
we can't win by conquering. We may just have to

Rachel?

learn to coexist. I don't know what was in my

"My god. She lives for the war. And Marco's
head at that moment, when I let Tom go. But
mom? She hates the Yeerks so much that the

66

67
idea of sharing the planet with them makes her

<ln the tunnel, I caught a falcon,> I told her.

<A Yeerk falcon. He begged to be let go. He
physically ill."

wanted to stay in morph. To live to escape.>

<She knows the enemy,> I pointed out. <She

Cassie nodded slowly. "You see? I'm right."

knows them in a way we never will. If we con-

I shook my head. "No. You are wrong. Visser
tinue to be lucky.>

One will learn to control whoever acquires mor-

"Of course she feels that way," Cassie said
phing technology. He will give it only to the most
impatiently. "Marco's mother was host to the for-
loyal Yeerks."

mer Visser One. It must have been horrible. But

"But the falcon you caught..."

the former Visser One was one Yeerk. The current

"The falcon I caught might have been lying,"

Visser One is one Yeerk."

I said simply. "Or he may truthfully have been

<He is the Yeerks' leader on this planet,> I
seeking escape. Yes, one or two Yeerks may be
replied.

seduced by the possibility of escape. But not

"It still doesn't mean he represents each and
enough."

every Yeerk," Cassie insisted. "Humans have had

"Do you think you can forgive me for this?"

some pretty evil leaders, too. Thousands, some-
she said quietly.

times millions of people have followed those

<l do not know, Cassie.>
leaders, sometimes willingly, sometimes not.

"What are you going to do?"

Sometimes because they were just too afraid to

<l do not know,> I answered again.

say no. What if some other species decided to

"I think this attack on the Yeerk pool will be
wipe out the human race based on the existence
our last stand. And if the Yeerks get any idea of
of a few powerful people? What if that species
our plan, any warning at all, chances are none of
decided all humans were cruel, based on the
us will make it out alive," Cassie said.

actions of a handful of sociopaths?"

I shook my head. <l am an Andalite. I will

In spite of myself, I stumbled over my thoughts.

never run away.>

Cassie gave me a sharp look.

"You think I'm a traitor, don't you?" she

Was she expecting an answer? Or was it a
asked.

rhetorical question? Either way, it had come too

I nodded. <Yes.>
close for comfort.

"But did I do the wrong thing?"

We stared at each other for a long moment.

68

69

<l do not know.>

"How do you think Elfangor would answer
that question?"

<l do not know that, either. I wish I did.>

I turned and walked away through the dark-
ness to an area thick with tree trunks and shrubs.

I needed to be alone.

No matter what happened, I knew I would
never feel quite the same about Cassie.

Or any other human.

I stared upward, trying to glimpse the stars
through the thick canopy of trees.

My birthplace was somewhere out there. I had
come to believe I would never see it again. I
closed my main eyes, trying to remember it in de-
tail. Trying to remember the faces of my family
and friends.

But their faces kept fading away and chang-
ing into other faces.

Jake. Rachel. Tobias. Cassie. Marco.

The humans amazed me with their resilience,
their ingenuity, and their bravery.

They delighted me with their humor, their
passions, and their capacity for play. Their food.

70

71

But they truly sickened me with their self-
high command knew that. Their plans might be
indulgence and their childishness.

unspoken. But they were clear. Annihilation of

But then, I reminded myself, they are chil-
the planet. It would be clean. It would be final. It
would be over.

dren. And so am I.

B u t . . . but Elfangor had broken the most

If I were at home, I would still be a cadet in
fundamental law of our planet. He had broken
the Andalite Military Academy. I would spend
the Law of Seerow's Kindness. He had given mor-
most of my time in my parents' scoop.

phing technology to another species.

But I had been thrust into the midst of this

To humans.

raging war on Earth.

Why?

I had seen more battles, death, and destruc-

To give them a chance?

tion than many seasoned soldiers in our Andalite

No. The Elfangor I knew was not sentimental.

fleet.

He would not compromise the safety of the home

I felt my throat tighten and constrict. My
planet and the galaxy to save one species.

hearts ached with a pain I could not describe. I

Elfangor knew what every other Andalite
wondered if I were dying.

knew. That the Yeerk menace had started with an

I felt not sadness. I felt pity. For myself. For
old fool's sentimental impulse. His inability to
us all. We were children no longer. And we never
understand that his enemy's goals and aspira-
would be again.

tions were not his own.

"What do you think Elfangor would say?" It

Seerow had let loose a plague of Yeerks upon
was if Cassie had looked into my mind and read
the galaxy. The rest is history. A sad, violent, de-
the question there.

structive history of conquest and war.

Elfangor! Why did you have to die and leave

Planets ravaged and ruined.

me here? I do not know what to do.

One species after another enslaved.

Either path led me to betrayal.

Countless dead.

Elfangor was a great hero. A war prince. A

All triggered by an act of kindness.

member of the Andalite military. Brave. When

Yes. The Cassies of the world were infinitely
necessary, ruthless.

more dangerous than the Rachels.

The Yeerks had to be stopped. The Andalite

72

73

My brother had known this. So what had pos-
sessed him to give these human youths the
power to change the future of the galaxy?

What would he tell me to do now?

I heard a flutter of wings. Then, the long quiet
sound of studied stillness.

Tobias.

He had settled on a branch. He said nothing
for a long time. Then, finally, <Well?>

<Well, what?> I asked.

<What did you decide?>

I was startled. But I tried to pretend I was not.

<About what?>

Tobias ruffled his feathers placidly. <l fol-

My eye stalks waved in spite of my determi-
lowed you last night. I don't know who you were
nation to stay calm. <What makes you think
talking to. Or what you were saying. But I'm
that?>
guessing you were talking to the Andalite home

<lt's what makes sense for them to do now
planet. Am I right?>
that the Yeerks are concentrated on Earth. I

I could not lie to my true shorm. <Yes.>
guess the question is, are you going to help them

<They're going to fry us, aren't they?>
do it?>

<l do not know. I do not know what is the
right thing to do.>

<There's a lot of that going around,> Tobias
said.

<Do you hate Cassie?> I asked suddenly.

<l don't hate anybody,> Tobias said calmly.

<lt's strange, but right now, I don't even hate the

Yeerks. It's like, they're trying to survive. And

74

75
we're trying to survive. I'm not really sure why it

<Too hard to explain right now,> Tobias said.

has to be an either-or thing.>

<l just mean that we don't really have any time-

<You would consider a symbiotic truce?>
tested rules for dealing with these issues. Like

<No. But we probably wouldn't have to do
the morality of acquiring someone's DNA. So
that. Don't you see? What do the Yeerks need?

we have to see what works and what doesn't. We

Bodies. If they can morph bodies from their slug
can't afford to get so locked into one idea that
state then . . . they don't have to keep taking
we defend it to the death, without really knowing
other people's bodies as hosts. See? They'd have
if that idea works — in the real world.>
to deal with the two-hour time limit still. And

Tobias was silent for a moment, then flapped
they'd still have to feed on Kandrona. But. . .>
away.

So. Tobias and Cassie had been thinking sim-

My hearts raced. New possibilities were un-
ilar thoughts.

folding. New solutions.

<But the Yeerks would want to acquire hu-

Maybe Elfangor had seen something. A possi-
mans. Other sentient creatures, as well. Not just
bility that had seemed impossible because we
cats and dogs.>

Andalites had been so indoctrinated by our own

<Yeah?>
military thinking. Us versus the enemy. No com-

<But we have always said it is wrong. Espe-
promise.

cially without first receiving the person's permis-

We had decided long ago that morphing was
sion. I cannot imagine a Yeerk asking permission
proprietary. Too dangerous to share. But maybe
to acquire a human's DNA. And I cannot imagine

Cassie had been right after all. Maybe the way
many humans who would freely give their DNA to
to real peace was in giving choices to other
a Yeerk.>
species.

Tobias adjusted his wings and appeared to

On the other hand, maybe it depended on the
tighten his talons on the branch. <Maybe you're
species.

right. I don't know. Look, Ax, it's a whole new

Humans.

world. We're having to make all this up as we go

Yeerks.

along. There aren't any rules falling out of the sky

If each were freed from the fight for survival,
telling us what and what not to do.>
would they use the morphing technology for good

<What exactly do you mean?>
or for evil?

76

77

The high command had ordered me to stop
the attack on the Yeerk pool. It would be simple
to do. Just tip off the Yeerks and the mission
would abort before it could begin.

But if I assisted the mission, it would delay
the ability of the high command to begin quaran-
tine measures.

What would Elfangor do?

I no longer needed to wonder.

He had done it already.

He had given the morphing cube to the hu-
mans. And then he had died.

I, too, would place my faith in the humans.

My faith, if not my trust.

The following night, I led six human adults

And if I died . . .

through the woods. Loren, Tobias's mother, had re-

Well, then, I hoped I would die as nobly as my
ceived the ability to morph, but chose not to use
brother.

it unless we expressly asked for her help in a bat-

I knew that I should check in with high com-
tle situation.

mand. But now that my decision had been made,

It was a wise decision.

I did not.

Tobias flew overhead thought-speaking direc-

I was willing to disobey a direct order. And I
tions to me. The adults made as little noise as
was willing to die.

possible considering they were carrying a collec-

But I was not willing to deceive the Andalites.

tion of battered metal camping equipment.

To tell them I was going to do one thing, and then

Jake, Rachel, Marco, and Cassie were in vari-
do another.

ous bird of prey morphs, flying overhead at differ-

I know it's a fine distinction, but I was learn-
ent levels.

ing to rationalize. To defend what was indefensi-

The auxiliary Animorphs were with us, too.

ble.

James and his two lieutenants, Craig and Erica,

It was a very human course of action.

79

78
were in charge of leading the group of seventeen.

I ordered the others to stop as well. "Hope for the

I did not know who was on the ground and who
best?" she repeated. "That's all you have to of-
was in the air.

fer? Am I the only one of you people worried

If the mission went wrong, their instructions
about our kids?"

were to melt away and save themselves. In this

I could not help myself from retorting. <You
do not need to be afraid on behalf of Rachel,> I
way at least some members of the resistance
told her. <Rachel is the one who frightens oth-
would live to fight another day.

ers^

Toby and several free Hork-Bajir traveled

"And that's supposed to make me feel bet-
silently and gracefully through the trees.

ter?" her mother demanded shrilly. "To know that

We were a small, motley army stealing
my oldest, my first child, my little girl, has be-
through the night on our way to a work site of Na-
come some kind of monster? Some kind of blood-
tional Guardsmen.

thirsty freak?"

According to Tobias, four large covered trucks

<Don't let her suck you into an argument,
were parked along the highway where a group of

Ax,> Tobias said privately. <You'll never win.

what he estimated to be approximately ten Na-

You're about one-fourth of a mile away from the
tional Guardsmen were repairing a broken water
work site. Keep heading east toward the road.>
line. They worked at night, of course, so as not to

<l am afraid I must respectfully ask you to re-
disrupt the heavier daytime traffic.

main silent,> I said to Naomi. Her mouth

We wanted the trucks.

dropped open in surprise but she spoke no more.

"How much further?" Rachel's mother de-

<Please follow me.> I turned and pressed on,
manded angrily.

leading the small group of human adults east

"Shhhh!" Eva cautioned.

through the thick woods.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Naomi

Finally, we reached the road.

went on. She had been complaining incessantly

Several yards away, we saw a work crew of Na-
since we left base camp.

tional Guardsmen. Flares and barricades lined

"We all agreed to be part of this mission,"

the road for about a mile in either direction. And

Loren pointed out reasonably. "Let's just keep
best of all, there were the four covered trucks.

going and hope for the best."

<Okay, Dad,> Marco said. <Show time.>

Rachel's mother came to a stop. Reluctantly,

80

81

Marco's father stumbled forward onto the

Rachel's mother looked angry and tired. Very
road. The others followed several feet behind,
much like a woman who was unaccustomed to
canteens clanking against flashlights and tin eat-
doing without a morning shower and other
ing utensils.

amenities of what Rachel called "the yuppie

Startled, the National Guard commander
lifestyle."

looked up at the group of bedraggled adults.

Cassie's parents were also dressed in appro-

"Hello! Hello!" Peter called. "Thank god. We
priately worn clothing. Each wore a small back-
thought we'd never find anybody."

pack.

The commander cautiously approached Mar-

And Tobias's mother hung in the rear, eyes
co's father. Two other Guardsmen stopped their
lowered, trying to appear frail and timid. Loren
work and stood protectively at the ready. "Sir? Is
was rather delicate in size and stature. But she
there a problem?"

had successfully survived far too many ordeals

Marco's father gestured toward the other
ever to be called timid. In my opinion, my brother
adults. "We've been lost in the woods for two

Elfangor had married a very brave woman.

days. Night before last, a bear came into our

I stayed back in the woods, watching, com-
campsite in the middle of the night. We grabbed
municating with the other Animorphs. <The ap-
what we could and ran. And, er, we got lost."

proach has been made,> I said. <l do not think

Marco's father did indeed look as if he had
these particular Guardsmen are Yeerks. They are
been lost in the woods for several days. He was
surprised at the sudden appearance of a group of
gaunt. His clothes were filthy and torn. His face
lost campers. But they do not seem afraid or sus-
was dirty and unshaven.

picious.>

Marco's mother looked even worse than her

The commander in charge signaled for some
husband. She wore an old cap pulled low over
of his men to stop work and come forward. "Is
her forehead. Her face and hands were smudged
anybody sick?" he asked Marco's father. "Any
with the charcoal from a burnt stick. A human-
signs of dehydration? When was the last time any

Controller would have had difficulty recognizing
of you ate?"

the host body of the former Visser One, but it

Marco's father put his hand to his chest. "I'm
was always possible that some of the National
having some pains here."

Guardsmen could be Yeerks.

Immediately, Peter was escorted by three Na-

82

83
tional Guardsmen to the truck at the front of the

Guardsmen had no idea that in addition to six
convoy. There they made him sit on the ground.

human adults they were also transporting four

One took his pulse. Another offered him water.

other creatures. And being followed through the

Moments later, the third Guardsman had
roadside treetops by seven-foot-tall aliens.

found places in the three trucks for the five other

I morphed to harrier and followed the convoy.

adults. The commander of the group got on the

<So far so good.> Tobias. <James, are you
radio and reported back to the base that he and
guys still with us?>
three of his crew would be bringing in six lost

<AII seventeen of us. I just took another
campers, one of whom was having chest pains.

count.>

And while this was taking place, Hork-Bajir,

<Good,> I said. <l am in harrier morph about
under the supervision of Jolphimee-Celpik, were
half a mile below you, Tobias. Rachel, Jake, and
quietly dropping from the trees. When the convoy

Cassie are traveling as fleas on Marco.>
headed off for the base, the Hork-Bajir would

<Where is Marco, anyway?>
silently disable the remaining seven National

I could see him, but just barely.

Guardsmen at work on the water main. Just in

He was the gorilla hitching a ride on the back
case one was a Yeerk determined to get word to
of the last truck.

his superiors about a suspicious group of lost
campers. Jolphimee-Celpik would see that the

Guardsmen came to no harm and were safely re-
leased when our mission was completed.

Rachel, Jake, Cassie, and Marco landed un-
seen and quietly demorphed then remorphed.

<lt is all going according to plan,> I told To-
bias and the others.

"As soon as we get back to base, we'll get you
to a doctor," the commander told Marco's father.

"Let's move out!"

Moments later, three trucks were rumbling
back to the base. The commander and his three

84

85

full of other military and civilian vehicles. The
driver of the second truck got out and walked
around to the back.

I could not see his face, but I heard his muf-
fled gasp of surprise as a huge bladed creature
grabbed him and pulled him away from the
truck. Another muffled gasp, followed by a soft
thud as the Guardsman was knocked out, low-
ered to the ground, and dragged off.

The same scenario was played out behind the
other truck. The Hork-Bajir had indeed arrived.

The commander and one soldier were with

Marco's father. The other two soldiers from the
work site were safely out of the way.

J u s t as we had hoped. The commander had

Then Naomi and Walter calmly walked around
called ahead to explain the emergency situation
to the driver's side of each of the two trucks and
so the small convoy was not required to stop at
got behind the wheel.

the base entrance.

<Okay,> I heard Marco say. <lt's a big base. If

The guards waved the trucks right through
you were a thousand-pound bomb, where would
without a search.

you be?>

Now we had to hope the Hork-Bajir had been

<There are twelve warehouses along the
able to drop onto the base from the surrounding
southern perimeter of the base,> Tobias said.

trees. We had to hope that James and his team

<Just like on the map Marco downloaded. And I
were close by.

see four more trucks in a motor pool along the

The first truck, the one carrying Marco's fa-
western perimeter.>
ther, veered to the right toward the medical sta-

<We'll check out the motor pool.> James.

tion.

<Disable any guards. And be ready for you guys

The other two trucks pulled into a small yard
to pick up more transports if you need them.>

86

87

<Be careful and try not to hurt anybody,>

<We start the search at A, work our way to L,>

Jake said. <A lot of these Guardsmen are proba-

Jake called. <But I want all guards incapacitated
bly innocent.>
at the same time, before we start. Does every-

<Got it,> James said.

body hear me?>

<Okay.> Marco. <l personally am ready to

<FII send Tuan and a few others to help,>
knock down a few doors.>

James replied.

The two trucks rumbled toward the ware-

<Good. Ax, you, Rachel, and Marco take
houses.

Warehouse A. Tuan, you back them up. As soon

There was surprisingly little activity on the
as you've knocked out the guards, every team do
base. One man and two women coming out of
the same, knock out their guards.>
what might have been the mess hall glanced cu-

Jake proceeded to assign teams to Ware-
riously at us but made no move to investigate.

houses C through L.

But then, it was late. Most of the Guardsmen,

<Let'sgo, Ax-man.> Rachel.

those who had not been part of the road crew,

I landed in the shadows and began to de-
were probably in their barracks.

morph. <l will make the approach. It will be a

<We're demorphing,> Rachel said. <l have to
good way of finding out if the guards are unin-
tell you, Marco. You stink. Even to the flea you're
fested humans or human-Controllers.>
stinky.>

When I was fully Andalite, I walked from the

<You know, Rachel,> he replied, <you —>
narrow alley between Warehouse A and a smaller

<Come on, you two,> I heard Jake say. <Just
building.

remorph to firepower as fast as you can. You, too,

The two guards posted in front of the ware-

Ax. I'm going tiger.>
house did not look as if they were expecting trou-

The two trucks pulled around behind the last
ble. One was noisily chewing gum and cleaning
warehouse. From my vantage point, it seemed
his nails with a toothpick. The other was glancing
the guards in front of Warehouse L took no par-
through a newspaper.

ticular notice.

I walked forward. <Excuse me. Is this ware-

<Two guards in front of Warehouse A,> Tobias
house locked?>
said. <Looks like two guards in front of each of
the twelve warehouses.>

88

89

backed up into the first guard. The first guard
struggled to keep his balance and reached for his
radio.

Now I knew they were not Yeerks.

By now, a Yeerk would have identified me as

"Andalite scum" and tried to kill me.

The soldier with the radio pressed a button.

But before he could proceed any further, a hairy
hand snatched the radio from him. The guard
found himself face-to-face with a huge gorilla.

He froze.

The second guard dove for his gun. But a
large owl swooped down, grabbed the gun in its
talons, and flew off.

The two soldiers looked up.

<We mean you no harm. Now, would you open

One of them gasped and gaped. The gum fell
this warehouse, please?> I asked.

from his mouth.

The two guards glanced at each other. The

The second one stepped back. "What in
next second they attempted to run. Marco
the . . ." But as he studied me, his face lit up
grabbed the first guard and neatly brought him
with delight. He held out his hand, palm up, as if
down.

I were a dog or horse. "I've never seen anything

A bobcat jumped gracefully from the roof of
like this." His voice was low and coaxing. "Hey
the warehouse. It landed on the back of the sec-
there, fella. Hey!"

ond guard. The guard fell forward onto his stom-

<Hay is for horses,> I retorted. <l am not a
ach. Tuan stepped calmly from the guard's back.

horse, though in some aspects I closely resemble

<Thanks, dude,> Marco said.

one.>

<No problem.>

I heard Marco roar with laughter. I did not

Tuan si inked away.

think the situation particularly humorous.

With my tail blade I severed the chain that

The second guard dropped his gun and
locked the doors of Warehouse A.

90

91

Marco and I entered the warehouse.

Suddenly I began to feel nervous. There were

Marco snorted in disgust.

so many of us. So many different species. So

The warehouse was filled with boxes stacked
many different levels of experience.

all the way to the ceiling. On the side of each box

The original Animorphs were used to a small
was written the word "SPAM" in large black let-
team and tightly controlled missions. Unless the
ters.

missions got out of control, which they had an

<What is SPAM?> I asked.

unnerving tendency to do.

Marco shrugged. <That's what a lot of people

Still, I was worried. So many things could go
would like to know. Come on. This place is just
wrong. . . .

full of provisions. Let's move to the next ware-

<Here! Here they are! Warehouse J,> James
houses
shouted.

We left Warehouse A and carefully ap-

Within moments those members of our larger
proached Warehouse B, our next assignment.

team not on lookout duty had assembled at

We did not have to speak to the guards. Toby

Warehouse J.

and another Hork-Bajir had captured and re-

The munitions were packed in approximately
strained them along with the guards from several
twenty-five, six-foot-long crates. On each crate
other warehouses.

were printed warnings and admonishments such

It was dark inside the warehouses. But we did
as "Handle With Care" and "Do Not Open With-
not want to turn on the lights for fear of arousing
out Authorization."

even more suspicion among the conscious Guards-

<How many crates can we load in two or three
men on the base. So the adults used flashlights,
trucks and still have room for us?> Cassie asked.

carefully avoiding shining them near the small

Jake spoke. <l don't know. Probably ten, to-
windows. Rachel used the owl's night vision to
tal? All the new Animorphs will have to travel as
assist the searches. Cassie relied upon the wolf's
birds or fleas on birds. The core group needs to
superior sense of smell to guide her steps.

be with the trucks. And the Hork-Bajir will have

Our entire retinue was now spread out over
to squeeze in somehow. It'll be tight. But we
the twelve warehouses, hurriedly searching for
have to do this. Come on. Let's load.>
the munitions that Marco and his father had as-

Jake called to Tobias to have the two trucks
sured us were stored on the base.

brought around to Warehouse J.

92

93

When the trucks arrived, Toby signaled to two

Hork-Bajir. They took up positions on each end of
the first crate and grabbed the edges with their
large, clawlike hands.

Then they hoisted the crate off the floor.

And a shrieking alarm pierced the night.

<Come on, come on, come on!> Jake called.

<l'm demorphing in case I have to talk us out of
trouble. Ax, go human. Marco, Rachel, and Cassie,
stay in your morphs for now. But hang back. Don't
get nasty unless you absolutely have to. James,
you guys stay in morph and stay out of sight.>

I began to morph.

Toby's Hork-Bajir stepped up the pace of their
loading.

CLUMPclumpclumpclump.

The steady thud of military boots somewhere
on base. Twenty, thirty, maybe more National

Guardsmen gathering for a showdown.

Shouts.

More alarms.

94

95

"The Guardsmen are heading for the gates,

"For god's sake, Marco," Rachel's mother

Prince Jake," I said. "They will attempt to stop
shouted. "Let's get loaded and get out of here.

and engage us there."

Your dad will be fine. Come on!"

"Hurry! Hurry!" Rachel's mother, from the

For once, a bossy and impatient adult was ex-
driver's seat of one of the trucks.

actly what was needed.

<Yeah, we get it, Mom!> Rachel snapped

Marco loped back toward the trucks.

back.

At the gate to the base a battalion of soldiers

"Where are you going?" Jake yelled. Marco,
and vehicles was continuing to gather.

still in gorilla morph, stopped and turned to face

We would have to outrun them. And we would

Jake.

have to outrun them with trucks that were loaded

<Toget my dad!>
with explosives.

"Stop right now or I'll get Toby to stop you!"

The last of the crates had been loaded. We

Marco laughed disbelievingly. <You'll do
were ready.

what? >

"Rachel, Cassie, Marco, demorph!" Jake or-

Jake stared stonily. "Get back here. Now!" he
dered now. "Get in the trucks. Tobias, stay in the
ordered.

air, okay?"

<l'm going to get my dad,> Marco repeated.

<You got it, Jake.>

Jake shook his head. "Nobody leaves this

"Good," Jake said. "Remember. We're not go-
fight now. This is it! The real deal. Maybe the last
ing to fight if we can at all help it. We're going to
one. We came in together. We're going out to-
run our butts off."

gether. I'm not risking having to leave one of my

The Hork-Bajir jumped into the trucks on top
team behind. Get it?"

of the crates.

Marco stood, hesitant. Uncertain.

Rachel climbed in next to her mother. I

I watched, holding my breath. Jake was
squeezed in next to Rachel and slammed the

Marco's best friend. But it was Marco's father
door shut. In the cargo area, Loren and Eva
who would be stranded on base, possibly at the
perched precariously.

mercy of the Yeerks. Would Marco acknowledge

Marco, Cassie, and Jake jammed themselves

Jake's authority? Would this mission hold to-
into the second truck with Michelle. Cassie's dad
gether?

took the wheel.

96

97

"GO!" Jake shouted.

"Rachel!" I shouted. "I am ordering you to

The small convoy drove slowly but steadily
stop! You must obey my command!"

toward the front gate. We did not want to have to

"Shut up, Ax!" Rachel grabbed the steering
knock through a fence. To do so might cause an
wheel with her left hand.

explosion.

Naomi shoved Rachel toward me, grabbed

And we had to hope we could get through the
her daughter's hand on the wheel, desperately
open gate without killing innocent National
tried to regain control of the truck.

Guardsmen.

But Rachel was too strong. Too determined.

But the soldiers were waiting. Of course.

We were going to crash right into the National

Three rows of soldiers. Armed. Rifles at the

Guard officer. We were going to kill him.

ready.

So I used my strong human arms and grabbed

Our truck was in the lead. When Rachel's

Rachel's hands pulling them from the wheel. It
mother saw the barricade of soldiers she auto-
certainly took her by surprise. Her hand slipped
matically slowed down. "What now?" she said.

from the steering wheel. Her foot from the gas

"What now!"

pedal.

"Ram them," Rachel instructed coldly.

With a dreadful screech the truck came to a

"No!"

stop. Not ten feet from the captain.

"Ram them!" Rachel placed her foot over her
mother's on the gas pedal. The truck acceler-
ated.

"Stop it! Rachel! Stop it!" Naomi screamed.

"We'll kill them!"

A soldier, obviously a captain, stepped out in
front of the troops and held up his hand.

It was a simple gesture. No gun. No threat.

Just a request to stop.

Rachel pressed her foot down even harder on
her mother's. Naomi yelped.

It was up to me to take control.

98

99

This told me that the captain was not a Yeerk.

He saw a young human. Not a threat.

If he were a Yeerk he would have a detailed
description of Jake and be on the lookout for
him.

Jake signaled to the humans to step out of
the trucks. They did, and so did I.

"Son! What is going on?" the captain de-
manded.

"Sir, do you believe in sentient life on other
planets?" Jake asked. "Aliens?"

"Is this some kind of a joke?" the captain de-
manded. "You're in a lot of trouble, young man."

"Sir. Please answer the question. I have two

Rachel turned on me furiously. "What do
trucks loaded with bombs. It's important that you
you think you're doing?"

answer my question."

"Jake gave you an order," I lied.

The captain signaled to his men. They began

"What order?" she demanded.

to fan out and surrounded our convoy. Their

"An order to stop," Naomi said, glancing at
weapons were held at the ready.

me. "I heard it, too."

"Son, I don't believe in flying saucers. I don't
believe in little green men. And I don't know

For a split second Rachel looked stricken.

what this is all about. But I do know that kids

Then the look of fury returned to her face and she
and bombs are not a good combination. If this is
slammed her palm on the dashboard.

a school prank, it's a doozy, but. . ."

I turned and looked behind me. The other

"Ax," Jake said. "Would you come here,
truck behind us had also been forced to stop.

please."

Jake climbed out of the second truck and

I got out of the truck and walked forward to
walked past us, toward the captain.

take my place at his side.

The captain, seeing only a boy, visibly re-

"Sir, did you see the governor on television re-
laxed.

100

101
cently?" Jake asked the captain. "Did you hear

Human shoulders, chest, and arms shrunk
her speech about the Yeerk invasion?"

and remolded into the narrower, more delicate

"Of course. But I received word from my ma-

Andalite shoulders, chest, and arms.

jor that it was hoax. A very sophisticated hoax.

Strong Andalite hindquarters erupted in one

The governor was sent away to a rehab center.

smooth motion. My admirable Andalite tail and

Something about drugs or losing her mind. Lieu-
tail blade followed.

tenant Colonel Larsen is being court-martialed

With an audible tinkling sound, my skin was
for his association with the governor. Several
covered with attractive blue-and-tan fur.

troops from area bases have been deployed into

Though my eyes were neither fully human nor
the city to prevent panic from breaking out."

Andalite, I could see the expression on the cap-

"Captain, I'm asking you to tell your people
tain's face. He looked appalled. I heard him call
not to shoot. You're about to see something dis-
for a doctor.

turbing but not dangerous."

"No! No doctors. He's fine," Jake said.

The captain considered for a moment before

"He's dying," the captain cried hoarsely.

answering. "Okay, son," he said finally. "I'm not

"No, sir, he's not," Jake replied. "He's only
sure why I'm giving you my word but I am." The
demorphing."

captain turned to his troops and gave the order to
hold fire.

"Ax?" Jake said.

I began to demorph.

As I have said, morphing is not pretty and it is
not graceful. To the uninitiated it is undoubtedly
frightening.

SCHLUUP!

I felt my human face began to tighten. My hu-
man lips turned inward and began to seal over.

My human nose receded and was replaced by
the distinctive slitted Andalite nose.

CREEEEEEK!

102

103

"Remember, sir!" Jake said loudly. "You are
not in any danger."

"Hold your fire!" the captain shouted. But his
voice shook. He turned to Jake. "I thought it had
to be a hoax," he said. "I mean, in a million
years . . . "

"Captain, let me explain that just as not all
humans are bad, not all aliens are bad, either.

The Yeerks are the ones infesting Earth. The An-
dalites and the Hork-Bajir are our allies."

Jake motioned toward me.

"Captain, may I introduce Aximili-Esgarrouth-

Isthill. He's an Andalite. And he's been part of
the Earth resistance since the start. His brother,

I finished demorphing and saw myself sur-

War Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, died fight-
rounded by faces that displayed a range of human
ing to protect Earth from the Yeerks."

emotion. Fascination. Horror. Exaltation. Terror.

The captain nodded. When I held out my

Even joy.

hand he hesitated. Then we each stepped for-

"They're here!" one soldier cried. "They really ward and shook. Briefly. His hand was much
are here!"

stronger than mine. I resisted the impulse to

"Martians?" another guy asked.

cringe.

"That stuff that's been on the Internet lately.

"Toby?" Jake called. With as much grace as a

Do you suppose it's true?" a woman whispered.

Hork-Bajir can muster, Toby stepped forward from

At that point, Jake gave the signal and the
the shadows. Involuntarily, the captain stepped

Hork-Bajir came clumping out of the trucks.

back.

The soldiers fell back. I heard clicking and

"Toby is the leader of a group of free Hork-
clattering as they shot the bolts of their guns and

Bajir, also valuable members of the resistance.

took aim.

Together we've been fighting the Yeerks. When

104

105
we're lucky, freeing more of Toby's people. And
seven lines of tracks. We figure they did some
maybe someday her home planet."

simple construction that now leads the tracks

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,"

right into the pool complex. We've seen them

Toby said.

herding people at gunpoint down into various

The captain nodded. Murmured something
subway stations and onto trains. From there, the
about aliens speaking more perfect English than
people are shipped off for infestation." Jake
most of his troops.

paused and looked intently at the captain. "We
need your explosives to blow up the pool com-

"There's one more thing." Jake proceeded to
plex."

tell the captain the Animorphs' story, beginning
with Elfangor. "But now the Yeerks have gotten

"But I have no orders," the captain protested.

"I can't allow you to leave this base with those
hold of the morphing techology," he finished.

explosives."

"We've lost our major advantage. It's a bad situa-

That's when Rachel's mother stepped for-
tion."

ward. "Captain Olston!"

The captain's face expressed several contra-

"Naomi. What in the world are you doing
dictory emotions in rapid succession. Disbelief
here?" the captain said.

followed by belief. Horror followed by fascina-

Rachel's mother and the captain shook
tion. Finally, he spoke.

hands. "How are you, sir?"

"What's the current problem?" he asked.

The captain smiled weakly. "Under the cir-

Jake allowed a small smile to flit across his
cumstances, uh, fine. And still a soldier. Thanks
face. The captain was at least willing to listen
to you."

further.

Rachel's mom turned to the rest of us. "I rep-

"There's a Yeerk pool complex under our
resented Captain Olston's oldest son when he
town," he explained. "It extends for miles, into
was wrongfully accused of car theft."

every surrounding neighborhood. It's where the

The captain smiled warmly. "You'll never

Yeerks have to go every three days to feed. There
know how grateful my family is. If Robert had
are entrances in every place from fast food
been convicted, I probably would have resigned
restaurants to the mail. It's the largest enemy
in order to keep pressing his case. You saved my
concentration on the planet. Recently the Yeerks
son's future and my career."

have gotten control of subway trains and six or

106

107

He cleared his throat and frowned. "But

Three soldiers wrestled a fourth soldier to the
what's your role in all of this? Why didn't you
ground.

come forward before?"

"Sir," a soldier reported. "Private Grigsby took

"I know it sounds insane, Captain Olston, but
aim at the boy. He was about to kill him."

the Yeerk invasion is real. No matter what you've

Jake turned to the captain. "Grigsby's a human-
heard about the governor lying or being ill. She

Controller. That means he's got a Yeerk in his
was telling the truth and now, obviously, she's
head. There may be more of them in your ranks."

being punished for it."

Captain Olston shook his head. "I'm having a

"I'm glad to hear the governor's name
hard time taking this all in. As I said, I received
cleared," the captain said. "She's the best per-
orders the other day that the Yeerk invasion story
son this state's ever had in that office."

was a huge and elaborate multimedia hoax. I was

"We're the resistance, Captain," Naomi went
told that certain troops were needed in the city to
on. "And this . . . this kid," she said, gesturing
prevent panic. The major said that under no cir-
toward Jake, "my nephew, Jake, is in charge. So
cumstances was I to interfere."

the person to speak to is him. I just thought I'd

"Then your major is a Yeerk," Jake said.

back him up a little."

Captain Olston's face turned ashen. "That

The captain frowned and turned back to Jake.

means . . ."

"Son, no offense, but you're younger than my

"It means you have to act on your own author-
own youngest boy. He's a fine young man, but I
ity," Rachel's mother said.

could never in good conscience send him off to

I watched Captain Olston's face and thought I
the city with a couple of trucks full of bombs.

understood his feelings. It is the willingness to
take orders from your superiors and then to obey

You don't actually expect me to allow this, do
them that keeps an army from becoming a mob.

you?"

"Sir," Jake urged. "We don't have a lot of

Jake spoke firmly but with respect. "We'll
time. There are Yeerks everywhere. We may have
fight our way out of here if we have to, sir. And if
been spotted. There may be Yeerks among your
we fight, we'll win. But we don't want to have to
own men who have already managed to get word
do that. What we really want is your help."

to the city. We must move forward."

Suddenly, there was a scuffle and a shout. A

Rachel's mother, long Jake's biggest critic,
shot went wild and barely missed Jake's head.

108

109

put her hand on Jake's shoulder. "Listen to him,

Captain Olston. He's probably the one who's go-
ing to wind up saving our lives. Maybe even the
life of the planet."

The captain stared at Jake, and then at me,
for what seemed like a long time. Then he
cleared his throat.

"What do you need, son?"

Marco's father was summoned from the med-
ical unit to confer. Captain Olston offered men,
material, and trucks.

Marco's father first apologized to Captain Ol-
ston for having to resort to subterfuge. Then he
explained what he considered to be the optimum
freight per truck.

"But won't that increase volatility?" Captain

Olston asked.

"Yes. But I don't think we have a choice.

We're going to have one shot at this. So we want
to pack as many explosives onto one train as we
can. That means we're going to have to haul a lot
of explosives."

110

111

"But why not take ten or twenty trucks? We've

That was a big "if."

got them."

I looked over to where Rachel's mother leaned

"Too many trucks would attract too much at-
against the side of her truck, sipping water from
tention," Jake said. "Especially if your unit has
a bottle.

orders to stay out of the city. But we'll take you

I found it interesting that Captain Olston had
up on a few more trucks, if you can spare them. A
been grateful to Rachel's mother. Rachel had
total of five. And you and some of your people."

seemed so sure that her mother was of very little

We were back at Warehouse J.

use at all. So had we. But clearly, the captain re-

The Hork-Bajir and the captain's men had un-
garded Naomi the lawyer as very useful.

loaded the explosives and were reloading them

Because of Rachel's mother, the captain had
so they were packed more stably.

retained his post. And because he was a smart

"What about the timers and fuses?" the cap-
and honest leader, we were receiving the help we
tain asked.

needed.

"I'll set the fuses and the timers," Marco's

I began to think Rachel had been unfairly
contemptuous of her mother. I think Rachel
dad said. "I'm an engineer. Explosives weren't
might have been reaching the same conclusion.

my specialty back before this war but you learn

I watched her approach her mother. She did
what you have to."

not swagger as she usually did.

"Please, let my sergeant help you," Captain

Although I do not approve of what humans

Olston said. "Explosives are her specialty." He
call eavesdropping, I could not help but overhear
spoke to an assistant who ran off and returned a
some of their conversation.

few minutes later with a small blonde woman.

"Mom," Rachel said softly. "I . . . I'm sorry.

Sergeant Tara Weston.

I . . ."

While she and Marco's father conferred, I

"Rachel, it's okay "

hung back and thought.

The rest I could not hear. Suddenly, Rachel's

Though the explosives technology was primi-
shoulders began to shake.

tive by Andalite standards, I was fairly confident

She was crying. It was an odd and disturbing
that it would do the job. If we could get the ex-
thing to see. But still, I was glad to see her cry.

plosives down into one of the subway stations

Rachel is one human for whom I had never
and onto an empty train.

112

113
felt pity. But now, I felt an odd sense of kinship.

Jake had not had such a chance with his fam-

Perhaps Rachel, like me, suddenly realized that
ily, either.

the gulf between the present and her childhood

Jake, my prince, stood alone and apart.

was an abyss of loss.

This might be our last night alive.

The loading was finished. There were shouted

I knew he felt keenly the absence of his own
orders as we prepared to depart the base. Na-
family. I could not be his family. He could not be
tional Guardsmen and Hork-Bajir scrambled to
mine. But I could be his friend.

take their places on five trucks. We planned to

I walked over to him. "You are my prince," I
morph birds and follow in the air. James and his
said. "And whatever happens next, know that I
group had been told to follow us closely.

am proud to have served you."

The parents were thanked and asked to return

Jake smiled wistfully and put his hand on my
immediately to camp. There they would wait for
shoulder. "Ax, for the last time . . ."

news of the mission's success. Or failure.

"Yes?"

They did not argue.

"Don't call me 'prince.'"

Rachel's mother kissed her daughter on the
cheek and then stepped back into the shadows.

Marco shook his father's hand and hugged his
mother. Proud. But protective.

Tobias had morphed to human to say good-
bye to his mother. He held her hand, reassuring
her that all would be well.

Cassie and her parents put their arms around
each other and touched their foreheads together
for a moment before parting.

I knew what was happening. Everyone was
saying whatever it is that one says to friends and
family when they realize they might be parted
forever. I had not had such a chance with either
my parents or my brother, Elfangor.

114

115

It was clear that the Yeerk roundup was no
longer confined to passersby and motorists. The

Yeerks were on the attack. Going from house to
house. Rousting people out of their beds and
forcing them at gunpoint to the subway stations
and then onto the trains.

Our convoy headed up to the Shawmut Street
station and pulled to a stop.

Captain Olston jumped out of the first truck
and signaled his troops to follow. A small but
dedicated and hand-selected group of men and
women.

The captain and his troops, guns at the ready,
walked briskly toward the small detachment of

We reached the city.

National Guard soldiers guarding the entrance.

<Okay,> Tobias reported. <There's a subway

The detachment, ten strong, wordlessly closed
station on Shawmut Street that's not being used
ranks and put their hands on their weapons.

to load people. Yet. But it is under guard.>

"Step aside, soldiers," Captain Olston com-

<Probably our best bet,> Jake agreed. <Can
manded loudly. "We're unloading some equip-
you get us there?>
ment."

Under Tobias's direction, our five-truck con-

"Sir," one of the detachment answered. "We
voy rolled through the streets of the city. We Ani-
have no orders to receive equipment."

morphs followed, spread out in the air.

"Where is your commanding officer?" the

It was early morning, before rush hour. There
captain boomed.

was little usual commuter traffic. But the side-

Immediately, there was the sound of ringing
walks were packed with people being herded
footsteps on metal plated stairs.

toward subway entrances.

The soldiers parted.

Some wore pajamas and nightgowns and

A major emerged from the station below and
bathrobes.

smiled benignly. "Captain Olston! I am surprised

116

117
to see you. I believe you had orders to stay on

I watched as the first few cars passed before
your base."

us. Each car was packed with terrified people.

"I did," Captain Olston said icily. "But those Some pressed their faces against the windows.

orders have been rescinded."

Some pounded and screamed for help. Others

"On whose authority?" the major asked, his
just looked stunned and hopeless.

smile looking quite a bit tighter.

We stood on the platform, waiting to be spot-

"On his." Captain Olston nodded at some-
ted. And just as we had hoped, the Yeerks com-
thing behind the major. The major turned and let
manding the train pulled to an abrupt and
out a shout of surprise.

screeching stop.

Marco, in gorilla morph, took him down.

The doors opened. People surged out and

It all happened too fast for the Yeerk soldiers
pelted for the subway stairs. Those from the
to react.

first cars, already in the dark tunnel, tore back

A grizzly, a tiger, a wolf, and an Andalite ap-
through the train toward the open platform. All
peared as if from nowhere and quietly knocked
were so terrified, all were so desperate for es-
the ten men unconscious.

cape, that they paid no attention to the strange

Toby and several Hork-Bajir swarmed from
group that stood lined up on the platform.

the trucks, gathered the Yeerk major and his sol-

A grizzly. Rachel.

diers, and hefted them down the subway stairs.

A gorilla. Marco.

In the station they locked the eleven in the toll

A tiger. Jake.

booth.

A wolf. Cassie.

Tobias gave the all-clear and assured us he

A lion. James.

saw no other Yeerk force running to the scene of

A crocodile. Collette.

the ambush. We joined the Hork-Bajir on the

A bobcat. Tuan.

subway platform. James and his original team

A bull. Kelly.

completed our force.

And an Andalite.

Just as a train came rumbling into the station.

When the train had emptied of uninfested hu-

<Here's our train,> Jake said grimly. <Get
mans, a group of ten human-Controllers in various
military uniforms stepped onto the platform.

ready. >

118

119

One of the human-Controllers came for-
ward. "So," he said, laughing, "it looks like the circus is in town." He turned to his companions. "How about we join them in the center
ring?"

Immediately, the human-Controllers began to
morph.

<Jake!> Rachel's voice was shrill. <Let's get
them before they're in battle morphs!>

<No! We give them a fair fight. We fight the

Yeerks. We don't become them.>

The first human-Controller morphed to rhino.

Another morphed to polar bear. Another to chee-
tah.

The remaining seven morphed to wolf.

Suddenly, the rhino lowered his head,
snorted, and charged!

<Go!> Jake commanded.

Rachel rushed the rhino with the grizzly's sur-
prising speed. They collided!

120

121

Rachel's amazing bulk absorbed the majority

The bleeding wolf yelped but did not back off.

of the blow, but the rhino's horn caught her in

He bared his teeth and snarled more ferociously.

the leg and opened a huge gash.

The fur along his back bristled. Then, they both

It was the signal everyone was waiting for.

jumped at me.

Battle was joined. Every animal leaped into

FWAP!

the fray.

FWAP!

Tuan's bobcat rushed the cheetah. It flipped

They fell heavily to the platform and lay bleed-
easily away . . . but Collette was waiting.

ing. I leaped over their prone bodies. But before I

SNAAAAAP!

could seek out another opponent. . .

With a crack of the crocodile's deadly jaws,

WHUMPF!

she caught the cheetah's back leg and dragged

Something massive collapsed on top of me!

the cat to the ground. Brutally the crocodile

Something huge and smothering.

shook the cat from side to side. The cheetah's

It was the polar bear.

head slammed against the side of the train. Col-

I struggled to whip my tail, but in vain. The
lette released the still body.

massive weight of the polar bear prevented any

<Marco, behind you!> I warned.

part of me from moving at all. I could not

<Got it.>
breathe. I could not see.

With a nimble roll, Marco ducked out of the

I was blacking out.

way of the rhino. And gave it a good punch on the

Then, I heard rifle shots.

head as it passed.

The weight became even heavier. Then sud-

One stalk eye swiveled . . .

denly, several Guardsmen were pulling the dead

FWAP!

bear off me.

One wolf down. But. . .

Captain Olston's men had joined us on the

"Grrrrrrrr, grrrrr, grrOWWWWRR!"

platform and opened fire on our attackers. I

Two other snarling, snapping, growling wolves
struggled to my feet. Saw a dead polar bear, a
leaped at me. Attempted to back me against the
dead rhino, a dead cheetah. And many dead
wall.

wolves.

FWAP!

Many dead wolves!

My tail blade nicked one across the ear.

My hearts stopped.

122

123

I looked in every direction at once.

Where was Cassie?

All about me there was bustle and activity.

Our team and Captain Olston's men hurried to
unload the trucks waiting outside the station and
then to pack the now empty train with bombs.

I galloped from one wolf body to the next.

Captain Olston's men would not be able to distin-
guish one wolf from another.

In the heat of battle, neither would I, unless
they were directly attacking me.

Cassie!

I had thought I hated Cassie.

But I did not. I felt for her as I felt for the oth-
ers. And now she was dead.

The train was packed with explosives set to

I regretted my harsh words. I regretted so
blow five minutes after the detonator was keyed.

much.

That five minutes would give uninfested hu-

"Ax! Come on! We have work to do."

mans, human-Controllers, and Hork-Bajirtime to

I turned, unable to believe my ears. The voice
run for their lives. I must admit I don't think any
belonged to Cassie.

of us cared much about the Taxxons' safety.

She stood beside Jake at the foot of the sub-

More than five minutes might give the Yeerks
way stairs. Both of them had demorphed.

time to figure out how to deactivate the bombs.

"Come on, Ax," Jake said. "I need you. We've

"Okay," Jake said. "We're all set. We'll need
got some decisions to make."

three people to ride the train. I'll go. That means

I ran to join them.

I need two volunteers to go with me."

I looked at Cassie and she looked at me.

"Since this is basically all my fault," Cassie

I did not have to tell her that I did not really
said, "I'm going.

hate her.

"Noway," Rachel argued. "I'm going."

I think she already knew.

124

125

Marco stepped forward. "Jake, I'm sorry,
as well as Elfangor. To strike a blow against the
man, but you can't be one of the three."

Yeerks. To do what I could to bring an end to this

"Why not?" Jake shrugged. "I'm the only one
war.

with no family."

Jake asked me no further questions. And I

"Maybe. For now," Marco said firmly. "But my
wondered if he knew more than I realized. In a
point is that the rest of us do have families, right
way I hoped so.

now. Families we care about. You're the one we

Maybe one day, we would have a chance to
trust the most. You're the one who's kept us to-
talk.

gether, kept us alive, and kept us sane. You're

One day.

the one we trust most to get every one of us out

"I'm going," Marco said.

of here and back to camp."

"I'm going," Cassie repeated.

Cassie and Rachel nodded.

"No way," Rachel argued. "What about me!"

<You're the one irreplaceable person in this

"Cassie's going," Jake said. "If there are tough operations Tobias said.

decisions to be made along the way, I want Cassie

Jake took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. I'm not
to make them. She's as close as I can get to go-
saying you guys are right. But we don't have time
ing myself. And Marco's going because . . . I
to argue. You win. But who is going? Remember,
don't know. I guess because he'll enjoy the ride.

whoever goes probably doesn't come back."

Rachel, I need you here with me."

I stepped forward. <l will go.>

Cassie smiled at Jake and he smiled back.

Jake looked at me for a long time. "Why?"

Even Rachel looked somewhat appeased.

<For reasons I cannot discuss,> I answered. I

In spite of the fact that we were all facing al-
was now officially a traitor to my own planet and
most certain death, somehow it began to feel like
people. And if the other Animorphs knew that I
old times. Before the war had gotten so terribly
had been privy to the high command plans of
ugly.

quarantine, they would regard me as a traitor to

Somehow, the rifts were beginning to mend.

Earth, as well.

The Animorphs were a team again.

If I did not come back from this mission, per-

Down the line, we heard the scream of an en-
haps it was best. All I wanted was a chance to die
gine and a whistle.

126

127

"Go!" Jake said urgently. "Go. There's an-
to remain erect so I could glimpse through the
other train coming in behind this one. If they see
bottom sliver of window.

this one stopped, they'll get suspicious."

Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers were guard-

No one embraced or said good-bye. There was
ing a large group of people on the platform. They
no time. Marco, Cassie, and I ran onto the train
stepped forward, as if expecting the train to stop.

and toward the engineer's booth. Marco pressed

But the train sped through the station.

the lever that powered the train.

And the Yeerks began to fire.

The train jerked and began to move forward.

"Come on," Cassie said to me. "Let's do an-
other check. Make sure everything's in place."

The detonators had been set up in the car just
behind the engineer's booth. Cassie and I double-
checked that everything Marco's father and

Sergeant Weston had set in place was indeed in
order.

The train picked up speed. We raced deeper
into the tunnel. Closer all the time to the Yeerk
pool.

The noise of the train's wheels on the tracks
grew louder. We rounded a bend.

WHUMPF!

Cassie and I were thrown to the opposite side
of the train car.

"We're approaching a station," Marco yelled.

"Get down. The Yeerks see an empty train go
speeding by, they're going to shoot."

The lights of the station were visible ahead.

Cassie and I ducked. I allowed my stalk eyes

128

129

~i

Cassie dove under a seat. The cable missed
her by inches. "If that thing hits the fuse, it'll
blow this train before we get to the pool!" she
yelled.

The cable whipped past my head!

I ducked.

"Can't you guys do something?" Marco
yelled.

"I'm on it." Cassie rolled out from under the
seat, struggled to her feet, and grabbed the over-
head passenger bar that ran the length of the car.

<Cassie! No!>

The live cable hit the metal bar! Blue-and-
white sparks raced right for Cassie!

Tseeew! Tseeew!

Cassie released her grip on the passenger bar

Dracon fire shattered the windows of several
a nanosecond before the blue-and-white streak
cars.

sizzled past her.

All along the train the lights flickered off,

The train hurled around a corner. Cassie was
then on again. And I smelled smoke.

thrown roughly to the other side of the car.

Shouting! It was Marco. But I could not un-

So was I. My hooves skidded out from be-
derstand what he was saying.

neath me and I fell heavily on my side.

The acrid burning smell grew sharper.

"Can't we slow down?" Cassie shouted.

I heard the problem before I saw it. A crack-

"No!" Marco yelled. "I haven't figured out
ling, sizzling, snapping, live cable had detached
how to work the brake."

from the ceiling. It flew madly around the inside

Just then, I heard the doors at the back of the
of the car like an electrified whip. Blue-and-
car slide open.

white sparks shot in every direction.

And looked up to see a squadron of three

The cable swung toward us!

Blue Band Hork-Bajir clumping toward us. They

130

131
must have been hiding on the train all along. No

ZZZZZAAAAATTT!!!!

other explanation. How could we have missed

The lights in the car flickered off and on. The
them?

metal bar turned blue and white. Sparks flew

I scrambled to my feet. Tried desperately to
wildly through the air.

keep my balance.

I watched the three Blue Band Hork-Bajir

Cassie was not in morph. Neither was Marco.

turn momentarily translucent as volts of electric-

It was up to me.

ity surged through them.

I would have to keep the Hork-Bajir from

Then, it was over.

killing us before the train reached its destina-

The electrical current, overloaded, went
tion.

dead. And the Hork-Bajir fell to the floor.

I readied myself for battle. Curved my tail

Cassie rolled out from beneath the seat.

over my head.

It was almost pitch-dark. The only light came

The live cable snapped and sizzled around me.

from the dim lamps set in the tunnel walls.

The Hork-Bajir moved steadily forward, eyes

<Tobias!> I shouted. <Where are you?>
on me, the blades on their knees and elbows

Tobias didn't answer. But I saw the red-tailed
whisking.

hawk dart out a broken window and disappear.

Then . . .

<l do not understands I said to Cassie.

WHOOOSH!

But Cassie had run to the window. "Thank

Something came whizzing through the car
you, James," she shouted.

door the Hork-Bajir had left open.

But her voice could barely be heard over the
clattering of the racing train.

A red-tailed hawk!

"Tseeer!"

It buzzed the Blue Bands' heads, raked their
heads with its ripping talons!

The train rounded a corner at shocking speed.

And in their startled surprise, the Hork-Bajir
reached for the metal passenger bar to steady
themselves.

Just as the live cable whipped against it.

132

133

only gives the people at the pool three minutes to
escape. That's not enough time."

"Cassie!" Marco sighed. "We increase the
risk . . . "

<Cassie is right,> I said abruptly. <We agreed
to give a full five minutes to those who wish to
escape. To give them less would be dishonorable
and inhumane.>

Cassie looked at me and smiled.

"Okay. It's two against one. You guys win."

Marco paused. "So, who's going to key the deto-
nator?"

"Coin toss," Cassie said quickly.

<What?>

On and on through the dark tunnel we raced.

"It's the way we make most major decisions,"

The train was now traveling on newly laid track.

Marco said dryly. "First, you choose heads or tails.

At intervals we raced past teams of Taxxons and

Then you toss a coin. Whatever side is faceup

Hork-Bajir, digging at work sites by the light of
when the coin lands is winner."

burning flares.

The procedure was simple enough. But I

Some looked curiously at the dark, empty train
could not help but think if this was the method-
hurtling past, but then continued with their work.

ology by which humans made most of their major

Marco came out of the engineer's booth.

decisions . . . Well, it explained much.

"We're almost there, kids. We're about two min-

<l see. However, a coin has only two sides.

utes from impact. I suggest we start morphing

And there are three of us.>
now into survivable forms. Roach or flea. Either

"Oh." Cassie. "Right."

one can tolerate all sorts of abuse."

"No offense, Cassie," Marco said. "But I

"What about the detonator?" Cassie said.

think it should be me or Ax."

"I'm going to key it now," Marco said.

"Why? You don't trust me to give the people

"No!" she cried. "You can't key it now. That
only five minutes to escape?"

134

135

"I don't trust you not to sacrifice yourself

A dim light. The station at the Yeerk pool
complex.

somehow in the process. No unnecessary hero-

One minute had passed.

ics. They give me gas."

Cassie looked embarrassed but did not argue

The train hurtled closer to its destination.

The final station. Where the train was sup-
further with Marco.

posed to stop and unload its passengers.

I entered into the decision-making process

But this train was not going to stop. This train
called the coin toss. I declared "heads" and I
was not going to slow down.

"won."

Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers lingered on

"You know how to key the detonator?" Marco
the station platform. Several watched the speed-
asked, beginning his morph to flea.

ing train approach with alarm.

<Of course.>

The Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers sud-

Marco was morphing quickly. <Good luck, Ax-
denly scattered.

man. See you later.>

They knew something was wrong.

I watched as his head shrank to the size of a

Thirty seconds.

pin. His arms retracted and disappeared. His

Twenty-nine seconds.

body shortened until it was almost flat. And then,

The detonator. I pressed in the first three dig-
zip! He was no larger than a grain of rice.

its of the four-digit code. Then I began my

Dark, scaly material began to cover Cassie's
morph.

face.

Fortunately, the morph began in my hind end.

Her arms melted against her sides and wings

With any luck, the last thing to go would be a fin-
flared from her shoulders. Her legs shriveled un-
ger.

til they appeared to be wires and she fell forward.

/ am the servant of the people . . .

In less than thirty seconds, she was a roach. I

Fifteen seconds.

watched her scurry underneath a seat.

/ am the servant of my prince . . .

The train zoomed on. We were deep, deep in-

Fourteen seconds.

side the tunnel. All around us was blackness. I

I felt my tail curl. Experienced an odd, dry,
poked my head out one of the broken windows
shriveling sensation. My hooves felt papery and
and saw the end of the line.

136

137

crunchy. My chest cleaved, forming a thorax and
belly.

Nine seconds.

Eight seconds.

/ am the servant of honor . . .

I could hear shouts and screams now above
the clatter of the train. It was clear that a colli-
sion was imminent.

Dark, crusty exoskeletal material crept over
the backs of my hands. My fingers shortened.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

I pressed the fourth digit just as my finger
disappeared.

The train hit the end of the track and I felt it

The impact was incredible. Even the roach
go airborne.

felt it. It was as if the Earth itself had exploded.

It arced through the air.

I was thrown through the air and hit a surface

And jackknifed over the Yeerk pool.

which could have been anything — a wall, a
floor, a ceiling. Thankfully, my lightweight roach
body kept me from being injured. Though for a
moment or two I felt quite disoriented.

As soon as the motion stabilized, I realized I
was floating. The train had landed in the Yeerk
pool. The car was filling up with liquid.

I began to demorph. I hoped that Cassie and

Marco had also survived.

Fortunately, the car was not completely filled
with liquid by the time I had regained my An-

138

139
dalite form. My head and shoulders were still

Marco! He stood atop the wreckage. He was
above the sludgy water.

already morphing.

Every one of the car's windows had been shat-

Cassie climbed up next to him. "Listen to me!

tered. Getting out of the wrecked train did not

Listen!" she cried.

present a problem.

No one paid any attention to her.

When I emerged it was into a scene of dark

"Ax! They can't hear me! Too many of them
and hideous tragedy.

can't hear me!"

Humans, Hork-Bajir, and Taxxons swarmed

<Keep trying, Cassie!>
toward the crash site.

She did. And finally people noticed the young

It occurred to me that the Yeerks had not yet
girl standing on top of the wrecked train in the
realized that what they had just witnessed was
midst of the pool. Finally, hundreds of frightened
not an accident, but rather, an attack.

and bewildered creatures listened.

Dead slugs were everywhere. Floating on the

"There are ten one-thousand-pound bombs
surface of the pool. Pasted to the sides of the
on this train," Cassie shouted. "They're going to
buckled and destroyed train. Scattered all over
go off in four minutes from now. You have four
the docks.

minutes to evacuate. Anyone still here in four

Humans and Hork-Bajir in cages screamed
minutes is dead."

and struggled and begged to be released.

If there had been panic before, Cassie's an-

I looked around and saw a familiar head pop
nouncement produced utter pandemonium.

up through the gray sludge.

Now the Yeerks knew for sure the crash was

Cassie!

no accident.

She leaned her head to the side and pounded

Hork-Bajir stormed for the exits. Knocked
it with the heel of her hand. Her expression was
over human-Controllers and even Taxxons in their
one of utter disgust. Then I saw her pull a slug
efforts to escape.

from her ear.

Those Controllers with morphing ability began

She flung it at the side of the train. It made a
to morph birds, cheetahs, rats. Anything fast.

heavy, wet sound on impact.

Anything that could fight its way free.

"Hey! If you're finished your swim, don't you

Marco and I raced to the cages where humans
have an announcement to make?"

and Hork-Bajir were held prior to infestation.

140

141

FWAP!

FWAP!

FWAP!

I used my tail to sever bars, locks, chains,
and head harnesses. Marco helped the freed
people to stand, to take off.

Cassie stood strong in the midst of the
streaming mass of creatures. "Get out! Get out!"

she yelled. "All of you!"

Several human-Controllers did not run imme-
diately for the exits or the tunnels. Instead, they
joined our efforts to free the imprisoned. Perhaps
they were unwilling hosts whose Yeerks were cur-
rently feeding in the pool. Perhaps they were
human-Controllers who worked with their Yeerks

The people backed up, and began to run.

as members of the freedom movement.

I did not wonder at their actions.

Quickly these helpers gathered tools and

The head of the creature in the pool resem-
stray pieces of metal wreckage. And began to
bled that of an octopus. Twenty bloodshot eyes
break open the locks of the cages. Cage by cage
dotted the bulbous face. Twenty tentacles grew
they worked to free the prisoners.

out from the bottom of the head, as large around

I turned back toward the pool. And saw Marco
as eels.

as gorilla struggling with one of the cage. A fe-

Visser One. Not his most horrifying morph,
male human-Controller ran over with a key. She
but certainly bad enough.

turned it quickly and helped him release the

<Andalite scum! Vile human resistors! I will
trapped people.

tear the heads from your bodies before I let you

Just as something monstrous rose from the
escape again!>
surface of the pool.

Marco stood his ground. <You want to fight?

We can fight. But it'll be a short fight. About one

142

143
and a half minutes. Two minutes, tops. And no
and a northern harrier. And we took off after the
escaping horde.

winners.>

The visser's bloodshot eyes glared. Slowly he

Wings working madly we raced along one of
the tunnels through which crowds of escaping
began to move through the thick, viscous layer of

Hork-Bajir, Taxxons, human-Controllers, and un-
dead slugs toward the edge of the pool. Still,
infested humans were frantically scrambling

Marco stood unmoving. The visser lifted one ten-
their way to the surface. To freedom.

tacle, as if to strike Marco. Then swiveled several

Birds of every kind screeched and smashed
of his eyes to look once again at the ruined and
into walls in their panic to get out. People were
smoldering train.

knocked on the floor, stepped on by humans too

<That's right,> Marco said calmly. <Ten one-
panicked to think.

thousand-pound bombs right behind you. No

All around us was chaos and madness and
lie.>
fear. It was the saddest thing I had ever seen in

For a moment I thought Visser One would
this horrible war. Desperation brought on by the
spontaneously combust. Rage emanated from
knowledge of imminent death.

his morphed body. Rage and frustration. He tried

We had just cleared the first major loop up
to speak but his voice came out as a choked gur-
and away from the pool complex when the first
gle.

bomb exploded.

And then the octopuslike creature sank below

BA-BOOOOOM!

the surface of the sludgy pool.

There was a short delay and then it was as if a

No doubt the visser was already morphing to
hurricane fueled by a blast furnace had come
something that would allow him to escape. Visser
raging through the tunnel.

One always looked after his own interests.

Large areas of the roof fell in. The floor buck-

By now the cages were empty of humans and
led and collapsed. My ears were bombarded by

Hork-Bajir alike. The pool complex was largely
screams and cries and shrieks.

deserted.

I had lost track of Cassie and Marco. I did not

The pool itself remained, stocked with those
know what to do except keep flying. The air was

Yeerks that had not died when the train crashed.

almost solid with dust and debris. The heat was

"Time for us to get gone!" Marco ordered.

overwhelming. But still I flew.

Rapidly, we morphed to birds. Two ospreys

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1

BABOOOOM!BABOOOOM!BABOOOOM!

Explosions reverberated through one cav-
ernous tunnel after the other.

Finally, miraculously, where the ceiling had
caved in up ahead, I saw light. Just a pinpoint.

But it was enough.

I flew toward it, rising out of the hideous un-
derground into the open sky.

L a t e that day, we perched on the roof of one
of the few skyscrapers left in the area.

The destruction was breathtaking. Below us,
there was a sinkhole where much of downtown
had been.

Everything had just caved in. Half the mall,
several office buildings, train stations, stores —
all were gone.

Most of downtown had simply collapsed,
swallowed up by an explosion the size of a small
nuclear blast.

The buildings still standing were cracked.

Some listed to the side.

The entire area was ringed with fire engines,
ambulances, military vehicles, and onlookers.

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147

<Well,> Marco said thickly, <we did some se-
said. <Captain Olston and his troops got out of
rious damage. Just like we hoped to do. I'll bet
the area in time.> Jake paused. Then said,

<Good job.>
we killed a million Yeerks.>

<l don't know,> Rachel said slowly. <There's

<Yeah,> Cassie agreed, no note of satisfac-
no telling how many human-Controllers the
tion or joy in her voice.

Yeerks created down there in the past week.

I felt no sense of satisfaction or joy, either.

Thousands maybe. No telling how many es-

There were many bodies down there. Human
caped^
bodies. Taxxon bodies. Hork-Bajir bodies.

<Yes,> Jake agreed. <But without the pool,

And perhaps three of the dead or mortally
the Yeerks have no way to feed. It'll be a pretty
wounded were Jake's parents and brother. I knew
horrible three days, but at the end, we're going to
we were all wondering if they had been at the
have a lot more dead Yeerks. And a lot of humans
pool when the explosion occurred. I also knew
who have no illusions about what we're fighting
none of us would talk about it. Not to Jake and
against. Not to mention the Hork-Bajir who'll be
not to each other.

freed, t o o

What could we possibly say?

<Well, that's something,> Marco pointed out.

Also, I could not forget that many human-

<But you know what the saddest thing about this

Controllers had lingered in order to save other
whole situation is?>
humans who were not Controllers.

<l wouldn't even know where to begin,>

I suppose I had always known that Cassie was

Cassie answered.

right. Always known but had been reluctant to

<The saddest thing is that this is our greatest
admit that Aftran had not been the sole member
victory. And I've never felt more depressed in my
of a Yeerk resistance movement. That there were
entire life.>
many Yeerks who, given a choice, would choose

<Well, just when you think you can't get any
not to conquer. Would choose not to kill. If they
more depressed,> Tobias said, <look who's drop-
ever were lucky enough to be given such a choice.

ping in.>

Yes. Cassie was right.

A large gray shadow fell over the city. We

We heard the heavy flap of wings and Jake in
looked up and saw Visser One's Blade ship hover-
peregrine falcon morph settled beside us.

ing, a swarm of Bug fighters surrounding it.

Everybody's back at camp and safe,> Jake

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149

<l guess it was too much to hope that he

Perhaps the only hope.

wouldn't survive,> Marco said gloomily.

<Ax.> Jake, addressing me in private

<No telling what kind of morph got him
thought-speak.

through,> Tobias commented. <But we've hurt

<Yes?>
him. And he'll have some explaining to do to the

<Thankyou,> he said.

Yeerk High Council.>

<You are welcome,> I answered. Then to my-

<Come on,> Jake directed. <We're of no use
self, I mentally added, <Prince Jake.>
here anymore. Let's get back to camp.>

One by one we took off and winged our way
back home.

Visser One wasn't the only one who would
have some explaining to do.

I, too, would have to justify my actions to an
angry Andalite high command. If I chose ever to
speak to the Andalites again.

They would never understand and I would
never be able to explain.

But for good or ill, I had thrown in my lot with
the humans.

Humans.

Violent but peace-loving.

Passionate but cerebral.

Humane but cruel.

Impulsive but calculating.

Generous but selfish.

Humans. Altogether a contradictory and
deeply flawed species.

And yet. . . And yet, somehow I knew that
they represented the best hope of the galaxy.

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