Disclaimer: The stolen characters below belong to KA Applegate and Scholastic Books.

Rating: K+™©

Jake/Cassie Tobias/Rachel Ax/other

A/N: Here's an old piece. My first finished piece of actual fiction, written because KAA was worse to her characters than even the unholy trinity of Berman, Braga, and Biller have ever been.

This story deviates from canon after #45 The Revelation.

This was never betaed.

To enjoy this fic, you'll need to first read the Animorphs books. Take a look at them at Spiletta42's Online Bookstore.

I'm Rachel, the reckless one. When something dangerous needs to be done, our fearless leader Jake always calls on his tall blond cousin, the Warrior Princess. It's my job not just to take risks, we all do that, but to be enthusiastic about it. To shout "Let's do it!" as we charge forward to look death in the face. I am not allowed the luxury of fear.

It's been a hard fight. There have been tough battles won, lives saved, disasters averted. There have also been narrow escapes, tough choices, and terrible consequences. There have been times when I've hated not just this war, but also myself. Sometimes I am not very proud of who I have become.

Sadly, if something terrible needs to be done, it's "get Rachel." When necessary, Jake takes advantage of not just my recklessness, but also that darkness growing inside me, because honest, decent Jake has learned to use people, for both their good and bad qualities. That is the tragedy of war; it changes people, and brings out their worst qualities.

Look at my best friend Cassie. A few years back she was one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. She'd feel guilt over the death of an insect. Now, even she has killed more sentient beings than we can count. I think it was the worst for her, early on, because she didn't just feel guilt over her actions, but she felt guilt for her guilt as well. She knew, intellectually, that she had done what she had to do, to protect her friends, her family, and her entire planet. But she felt bad anyway. And when she felt bad for doing what had to be done, she beat herself up for feeling bad, too. Now, she doesn't seem to feel remorse when she kills. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't enjoy it. But Cassie is numb inside.

Marco seems like he has kept his sense of humor through all of this. But I know better. His humor is his duty; it is a veneer over the ruthlessness within him. It is his job to be the funny one as we face death, and worse, and he does it. But he isn't really laughing at his jokes anymore. After what this war has done to his family... well, Marco just isn't the same now.

Yet none of us has changed more than Tobias. Without this war, he would have been an artist. He was gentle, thoughtful, and certainly not violent. When we met, that fateful night all those years ago, he was a bully magnet. Now, he has a fierceness which would send any bully alive crying for their mommy. Tobias isn't even truly human anymore. He's a predator, trapped by this war in a body not his own. He witnessed his own father's brutal death. He never even met his mother, thanks to an accident with the space-time continuum. To say this war has been hard on Tobias would be the understatement of the year.

I don't know if Ax has changed; he has been training for this war since birth, so it's different for him. Yet he expected to be fighting beside his own people, instead of with humans, aliens to him. He has absorbed many human habits and mannerisms. He has lost his brother, and in one of his few contacts with his own race, he was forced to take the blame for a crime not his own. Despite all the bravery he has displayed in battle, when he returns home, it will be in disgrace. If he returns home.

I know what this war has done to all of us, and that is why I am glad that the final battle is almost here. Win or lose, it will be over. I just pray that if we lose, we die. We've been to hell and back, the six of us. And I know that each and every one of us would rather die a painful and violent death than to live with the consequences of defeat.

I'm Jake. I'm the leader. I get to hand out the unfair orders. Don't show fear, Rachel, you'll scare the others. Tell a joke, Marco, before you face your own mother in mortal combat. Bottle up your guilt, Cassie, we don't have time for it right now. Into the torture chamber, Tobias, you might be the only one who can stand it. Risk your neck again, Ax, and cover our retreat.

I get to make the life and death decisions. I get to use those I love, taking advantage of their strengths and weaknesses, and I get to risk their lives for them. But I have no choice.

You see, this is a war to defend humanity itself from a race of parasitic aliens determined to enslave us all, mind and body. If they win Earth, billions of people will find a fate worse than death as slugs crawl into their ears, take over their minds, and use their bodies to continue their evil conquest of the galaxy. If the Yeerks win, I don't want to live.

Not only would I rather die than be a slave, a prisoner within my own body, but I don't want my body, with its special powers, being used as a tool of destruction by the Yeerks. You see, when my friends and I entered this war, we were given a great gift by the Andalite Prince Elfangor. We were given the power to morph.

With that power, we have slowed the Yeerk invasion of Earth. We have kept them from succeeding with subversive tactics. But now, we have forced the fight into the open. Our success has possibly led to our ultimate downfall. If we fail now, the responsibility for the Yeerk conquest of Earth will be on my head. So, despite astronomical odds, I must find a way to succeed, even if it means the death of everyone I care about.

Cassie, the girl I love. Marco, my best friend. Rachel, my cousin. Tobias, her boyfriend. And Aximili, an alien who calls me his Prince. For years I've had nightmares of the day I would find myself ordering my friends to certain death. I fear that day is now here.

I'm Cassie. They used to call me the tree-hugger. They don't anymore. I'm a killer now. For years, I mourned every death I caused. I spent weeks agonizing over the death of a termite. A termite! It sounds stupid, I know. I've ripped the throats out of sentient creatures with my bare teeth. Yet killing that termite was somehow over the line. Even though that action saved the lives of my friends.

I don't think about it anymore. It's kill or be killed, and I accept that. When I cause a death now, I file it away neatly in the deep recesses of my mind. When this war is over, I will mourn them all. I hope. I hope I can still care when this is over. Now, it seems I will find out soon.

If we lose, they will all have died in vain. I hope I won't have to live with that knowledge. I don't hope for a quick and painless death; that would be a selfish desire. I do hope for death, if victory can't be ours. And I hope that Jake doesn't have to see me die.

I'm Marco, the funny one. It's my duty to point out the insanity of every mission, to point out the absurdity of life, to entertain the troops. Just like it was my duty to sacrifice my stepmother. First, I lost my mother to the enemy. It nearly killed my father. It took him two years to start living his life again. And then, as soon as he found someone new to love, I let the enemy have her. So she didn't die. What did happen to her was far worse; a living death.

But I don't want to talk about that. Not now. I need to be funny for just a couple more weeks. Then I need never joke again. I'll probably be dead. Just as long as I don't have a Yeerk in my head. I want to win this final battle, I just don't see how. We've done many impossible things before. But this... this one might be too much for us all. Even Rachel is scared this time. I could see it in her eyes at the meeting. She was quieter than usual, more thoughtful. She was looking at each of us like she was sizing us up, wondering if we were up to it. When Cassie looks like that, I don't worry. Cassie is always worried about how everyone else feels. When Rachel is worried... well, I can't help but dread a battle that scares Xena herself.

I'm Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. I'm an Andalite, but Earth has become my home. I have fought for Prince Jake for several years, defending Earth from the Yeerk invasion. The final battle is here. I believe Prince Jake will find a way to score victory, despite the impossible odds.

I won't live to see the victory, though. It is my duty to kill Visser One, who murdered my brother several years ago. I cannot delay any longer. In order for any plan to succeed, the Visser must die early in the battle. I will meet him, tail-blade to tail-blade, and neither of us is likely to survive. My life is not my own, if the people have need of it. And I would gladly choose death over the alternative, if this battle is lost. I will be proud to give my life for the people of Earth.

I'm Tobias, the freak of nature. Part human, part Andalite, part red-tailed hawk. My father was the great Prince Elfangor; I only met him once, and then only long enough to watch him die. I grew up as a human. Now, my body is that of a red-tailed hawk. I can return to human form, but if I don't return to my hawk body within two hours, I will lose my morphing power. Without my power, I would be useless in this war. My humanity is but a small price to pay. After all, I have my freedom. I only wish all of humanity could say the same.

We are about to fight our final battle. In a way, I'll be the lucky one if we lose. My friends are praying for death, if they cannot have victory. I don't have that concern. While I, too, would choose death over infestation, it is only a hypothetical question to me. The Yeerks cannot infest a hawk. So, unless I morph into human or Andalite, I am useless to the Yeerks. If I am caught, I suspect they will torture me in an attempt to make me "demorph" to a useful form - they do not know that red-tail hawk is not merely a morph. But they will not succeed at this. I know. I have withstood torture before.

But as for that being lucky? Wrong. If we lose, I have a job to do. I made a promise. If we lose, and my friends are infested... well, Rachel made me promise I'd kill her if she was ever taken. I hope we can win this one. I don't want to be the only survivor of humanity's last stand.

It was a normal day. Or as normal a day as any of us have had in four years. Jake had called a meeting, and the six of us were there in Cassie's barn, casually discussing the latest plan to save the world. We were all starting to feel a little desperate. We'd struck some hard blows lately, but we weren't making any progress. We were just holding our own, and the Andalite reinforcements we had been promised years ago were nothing but a pipedream.

Jake was ready to try oatmeal again. Cassie had a complicated and risky plan involving brain surgery that she felt somewhat lessened the moral dilemma involved with the oatmeal solution. Trust me, you don't want the explanation. None of us were enthusiastic, and that Cassie had been actively thinking about such a controversial action scared me. It scared me badly.

Then Erek arrived.

<Erek's coming> Tobias announced from the rafters. My stomach flipped. Erek rarely brought anything but bad news. And some sixth sense told me that this was it; the ultimate bad news. He cut to the chase.

"The Council of Thirteen has ordered Visser One to begin an all out assault on Earth, to commence in two weeks time."

The news was like a physical blow. We couldn't fight an open assault. We stared at Erek in shock. Cassie moved closer to me; I took her hand absently. Tobias fluttered down and landed on Rachel's shoulder. For the longest minute of my life, no one spoke. Even the animals were quiet, like they understood that the death sentence applied not just to the human race, but to every species on Earth.

"We need help on this one," I said quietly. "We need reinforcements. Suggestions?"

"My dad. We tell my dad. At least the Yeerks would lose the advantage of surprise."

No one answered Rachel. Her plan was desperate and suicidal, as most of Rachel's suggestions tended to be. Yet this was not the characteristic reckless Rachel. She sounded more like a little girl, hoping her daddy could fix everything. Yet we all knew telling Rachel's father, who was a news anchor, was a death sentence for him as well as us. And it a shot in the dark as well. My troops did not need democracy right now. They needed a decisive and confident leader.

"No. Or at least, only as a last resort. We need to go to the government. The president. He can help us organize the type of military operation that is needed here. We are fairly sure he is not a Controller. Step one would be to confirm this. We go from there. We can win this one. We just need to take one step at a time."

Everyone nodded.

"Marco, you'll need to get copies of your dad's research. And your Mom's diary. We'll need to put together a good presentation of the facts," I ordered. Erek, what kind of details do we have?"

"Just the Council's orders, so far." he answered.

Rachel spoke up again. "I think we should kidnap a Controller. We might need to be able to produce a real, live Yeerk for the President. Just demonstrating our morphing powers might not be enough..."

"And we don't have room for failure," I finished.

"OK. So we need to travel to Washington, D.C., with a hostage. And if it takes more than three days, our hostage is useless. What's my line again? This is insane!" Marco joked hollowly.

"We can't fly. We need a car. If we rotate drivers and don't stop too much, we might make it. Now, where do we get the car?" Rachel asked.

"We need a van. We need enough room for Ax, so he won't have to travel in morph." Cassie pointed out.

Erek spoke up again. "I'll take care of it. I can drive, too. I don't need sleep."

"Good. Thanks, Erek. Now, as for selecting a hostage," I began.

Cassie interrupted, "When is Tom due for a trip to the Yeerk pool?"

"Tonight." I answered, nodding. "We'll grab him and go tonight. Marco, head out for the valley. Ax, we might need the Z-space transponder. Rachel, we need White House worthy attire for everyone. Cassie, we don't want to leave anything strategically important here. Everyone go home. Pack. We'll regroup at Erek's." I guess there never was a question of who the hostage would be.

We all dispersed to pack for our road trip. I didn't have to pack. Cassie promised to bring me a supply of frozen mice, and I promised myself I would not waste time feeling bad that I wasn't hunting like a respectable hawk. After all, saving the world was slightly more important than the feeding habits of a bird. We all had plenty of time to think before Tom's kidnaping, but I most of all. I knew that the next two weeks held dozens of risks, followed by the battle we had all been working to delay for years. This had started when we were in middle school, and now everyone was driving. Well, of driving age, anyhow. Ax, Marco and I can't get licenses. For some reason the DMV doesn't issue licenses to hawks and aliens. And Marco, of course, is legally dead.

I made a decision, and flew towards Rachel's. We might all be dead within two weeks, but there was one thing I wanted to do before I died.

Rachel was unsurprised when I flew in her open window. I began my human morph immediately, and I still had feathers when she threw herself into my arms. I hugged her fiercely.

"I came to ask you something. Something important." I took both her hands in mine and dropped to my knee at her feet. Before she had time to question my actions, I began.

"Rachel, I love you. You are brave, strong, smart, beautiful, everything. I know I can't offer you a normal life, but I give you my heart. Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down my face as I said the words. Rachel's eyes glistened with tears, too, when she answered.

"Oh, Tobias. I love you, too. Yes, I'll marry you. I don't know how, but I'll marry you."

She kissed me, and for that frozen moment in time, there was no room for fear, only happiness. Sure, I had two weeks or less to live. But I would die beside the bravest, most beautiful young woman on the planet.

I'm sure Marco would have loved the opportunity to comment on the absurdity of the situation. But I was so happy it barely bothered me when I lied to my mom, giving her a cover story as I left the house with my bag. And why shouldn't I be happy? I was just off to kidnap my cousin Tom on my way to Washington, D.C., where I planned to break into the White House in order to warn the President of a vast alien conspiracy to take over the Earth. I was practically giddy, because my boyfriend, the talking hawk, had just become my fiance, the talking hawk. Not that anything had really changed; we'd been a couple since what felt like the beginning of time. And we couldn't actually tie the knot for a while, yet. But even though I was going to die in about two weeks time, I let feelings of love and romance chase the fear from my heart.

Where I had been dwelling on the negative aspects of this war, I had forgotten the important things. The value of friendship, trust, love, and honor. This war had deepened the relationships between all of us. Sure, it had meant we couldn't trust our own families, our other friends, or anyone. But we risked our lives for each other regularly, and I knew I could trust my friends in any situation. And I knew true love far earlier than most teenagers. This war had given me Tobias, and we had fought our way to hell and back side by side, over and over again. This was no fleeting puppy love. In the last few years we had grown to know each other better than many older married couples, and I realized that we could face anything, as long as we did so together.

I thought back over all the afternoons after school, when we went flying. Normal teenage couples went to the mall; we went flying. Instead of flying tonight, however, Tobias rode on my shoulder while I walked to Erek's house, where we were all gathering. We savored our last few minutes alone together before the mission.

The old Rachel was back. That was the first thing I noticed when she arrived at Erek's. The haunted look from earlier was gone. Instead, she practically glowed with energy. Her eyes sparkled with her characteristic determination and vitality. I felt a glimmer of hope. One step at a time; that's what Jake had said. And he was right. If Rachel could pull it back together, well, I guess I could, too.

Once we had stowed our belongings in the van, we would intercept Tom on his way home from the Sharing. Then we would head off cross-country, just four perfectly normal teenagers, a talking hawk, an alien, and an android hauling a prisoner to the White House.

Erek had agreed to come along and use his hologram to provide cover along the way. We didn't need to get caught with Tom tied up in the van. We couldn't afford the delay.

I had the easy job for the kidnaping. Since I had the only battle morph that both possessed opposable thumbs and fit in the drivers seat, I would drive. Erek's pacifist programming would slow us down in a chase. Rachel morphed to elephant, Cassie went owl and took to the sky, Tobias morphed a Hork Bajir, and Ax stayed his dangerous self. Jake went tiger and hung back as backup. If we moved quickly, grabbing Tom wouldn't be too much trouble. Insane, maybe, but hopefully not too much trouble.

I flew overhead, giving the traffic report. Ordinarily, that would have been Tobias' job. But it was growing dark and the owl had amazing night vision. Erek was projecting a hologram which disguised our entire force as a UPS truck. When Tom approached their position, I gave word. With an enthusiastic "Let's do it!" Rachel thundered into the road and slammed into Tom's car.

"Andalite!" He shouted, but as he leaped from the car, cell phone in hand, Tobias stepped from the hologram and grabbed him. Ax neatly rendered him unconscious with the flat side of his tail blade, and the whole kidnaping was over within two minutes. Mr. King, the Chee who posed as Erek's father, produced a hologram of Tom and drove off in the damaged car. Other Chee were already on the way to take the rest of our places. The longest part of the whole operation was waiting for Rachel to demorph enough to fit in the van.

I flew in the open window, and we were off. Erek projected a new hologram; we hoped no one would disturb our perfectly normal minivan. We all settled back shakily. It had been too easy. For years we had wanted to grab Tom and starve his Yeerk. Jake and I had discussed it more times than I could count. Now we had him. He was unconscious, and Jake had tied him up firmly in the back seat. Ax, fully Andalite, stood guard.

Fortunately, Marco's driving skills had improved greatly since he had wrecked my father's truck a few years back. Erek sat in the front with him, projecting his hologram. Tobias was in human morph, with his arm around Rachel. I took Jake's hand, and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Well, is anyone going to say it?" Marco asked.

Silence.

"Okay. That was remarkably easy."

"Too easy."

"We talked about this," Jake answered calmly. "That's what Erek is here for. Even if some Controller cop pulls us over, all they'll see is a perfectly normal van full of perfectly normal suburbanites. We're as safe as we can be."

<We are also armed.> Ax added, holding up a dracon beam he had taken from Tom. <It could be a useful alternative to battle.>

"Set it to stun," Jake said, holding out his hand for the Yeerk gun.

Jake took the weapon, and Rachel reached for it before he even moved to hand it to her. She and Marco were the best shots.

<Prince Jake, he is stirring>

"Don't call me Prince," I answered, more out of habit than anything. I turned to watch Tom open his eyes.

"Good evening, Yeerk, " I said calmly. I had fantasized about saying that line so many times over the years. "Three days, and I'll have my brother back. Tom, I know you can hear me. I'd like you to meet my Andalite friend, Aximili. He'll see to it that your Yeerk's death of Kandrona starvation goes smoothly."

Tom looked confused. "Jake? What's happening? I don't understand."

"Nice try," I answered, "I'm not falling for that. I know exactly what you are. I've been aiding the Andalite 'bandits', as you call them, for years, in hopes of rescuing Tom. He will be free. Free or dead.

"I'm sorry, Tom, but I know you'd understand and forgive me. Try anything, Yeerk, and I'll kill you. Even though that means killing my own brother."

"Jake, please. I don't know what you are talking about! You're crazy. You've lost it, man. Please, let me go! Don't hurt me..." Tom continued to whine for several minutes, until I finally took the dracon beam from Rachel and stunned him. I felt guilty, but at least we rode the next few hours in peace.

We let Erek take over driving, and the six of us talked. We put the war on the back burner for just a while. Instead, we just enjoyed each other's company, joking and laughing almost like normal teenagers. We discussed everything from comic books to ancient philosophy. It was nice.

I spent as much of that night as possible in human morph. I hadn't been human so much in many years, but it just felt right. Maybe, after this battle, I'd just stay human. I would miss flying, but it just felt so good to hold Rachel, to joke with my friends, and just be normal for a few hours. Of course, our discussion had strayed from normal. We ended up doing a great deal of reminiscing.

"...so I'm sitting there listening to Chapman, and bam, grizzly feet. So when I left his office, I asked him if he liked my new boots!" Rachel laughed, and we all joined her.

<Tobias, you have been in morph for one hour and fifty-five of your minutes> Ax interjected.

"They are everyone's minutes, Ax-man," Marco sighed.

His warning reminded me just how far from normal I really was. I returned to my hawk form, and this time did not remorph. It was time to get back to business.

"So the Andalite filth has spread its technology to humans!" Tom said in amazement, apparently both conscious and through with his ploy to convince us he was not a controller.

Jake turned to his brother. "Now we really cannot let you escape, Yeerk. But I thank you for giving up the innocent act. Erek, where are we?"

"Nearly to Colorado," Erek answered.

"We'll stop in the next town for breakfast. Tobias, could you get us a quick traffic report? Erek, cover his departure from the vehicle. Marco, do you still have the dracon beam? When we do stop, cover Tom so Ax can morph to human."

I flew out the van window, flapping hard to gain altitude. There were some nice thermals just starting to rise off the desert highway, and I was soon far above our van. There was no traffic for miles; in the far distance, I could see a small town, with the mountains rising beyond it. I focused my hawk eyes on the desert, and caught myself breakfast. After my quick meal, I returned to the van.

Tobias flew back in the window. <No traffic for miles. If the yeerks followed us, I don't see them. We're probably within an hour of the nearest town. Ax can stay andalite a while longer.>

"Thanks, Tobias," Prince Jake answered.

Since my arrival on Earth, I had learned a great deal about the culture and values of humans. I had come to understand how my friends thought, and I could predict their behavior in most situations. They could always joke, even in a crisis. That didn't surprise me any more. I wondered just how I would fit in with my people if I returned to my home world.

You'd think that I'd be homesick, maybe even wishing for female companionship of my own species. But I wasn't. I was thinking about how much I would miss Earth if I went back. I'd miss my friends, especially my shorm Tobias. He was my brother's son. Obviously, Elfangor had developed human attachments as well.

Now, suddenly, it was back to business. I snapped to attention.

"Once in D.C., we'll need to keep up surveillance on the president until we can determine whether or not he is infested. We don't have the luxury of watching him for three days; we need our answer fairly quickly. Then we'll make our move. Any suggestions on how we get close?" Prince Jake asked. <Close surveillance of his residence should provide answers quickly. If the Yeerks have him, they'll have a portable Kandrona.> I pointed out.

"Ax is right," Prince Jake said. "It should be possible to make our assessment, with an acceptable margin of error, without the three days. Then we get in, demonstrate our morphing ability, show off Ax, and, if necessary, invite the President to watch Tom's Yeerk die of Kandrona starvation."

"Unless the Yeerk chooses one of the alternatives, right?" Cassie reminded more than asked.

"If he chooses to come out and show himself, we'll let him live," Prince Jake answered. "You brought options?"

"Of course," Cassie said, nodding towards a crate of instant oatmeal. I also noticed a square object wrapped in newspaper peaking out of the crate. I suspected it was Elfangor's Escafil Device.

"So, how do we get in? Suggestions?" Prince Jake looked at each of us.

"We shouldn't have to worry about a gleet biofilter or even any Controllers on the lookout for animals. We're fairly certain the President is not infested. Getting in should be easy, for a change." Cassie answered.

"But to be on the safe side, we need to move cautiously. I say we go in as our charming selves. They have a tour, right?" Marco asked.

"We carry in a couple of bugs. Real bugs. If they live, no biofilter. We're free to return as flies or cockroaches and investigate further. If they die, then we know there IS a gleet biofilter, in which case we don't need to investigate. We need a new plan." Rachel suggested.

"Yeah, like how to kidnap the President," Marco said darkly, "Pardon me, Mr. President, how would you like to see the inside of our van?."

Jake ignored him. "That sounds reasonable. The next thing we need is a battle plan to present to the President. Once we have convinced him that the problem exists, what are we going to ask him to help us do about it?"

"Step one: We need a fighting force to provide defense against a full scale Yeerk attack. How do we keep the element of surprise on our side? How do we make sure there aren't any Controllers on the force we recruit?" Marco asked.

"Cat scans," Cassie suggested, "Maybe yeerks would be visible with a CAT scan."

"I can help out there," Erek said. "The Chee have designed devices that expose Controllers, and I don't believe it would be too difficult to modify human medical equipment to do the job."

"Sounds good. But how do we use it?" Rachel asked.

"Well, we are going to the President. He has the full resources of the government at his disposal. If he really listens, that will open up our options considerably." Cassie answered.

"A group of military guys aren't exactly going to argue with Presidential orders for a medical exam. Unless they are Yeerks, in which case they might guess." Tobias added.

"If a Controller even heard about such an action, they might suspect we had gotten to the government. There has to be another way." Prince Jake said.

"Leerans." Cassie whispered.

"We could skip a lot of surveillance if we could get the President alone and use a Leeran morph." Marco said with enthusiasm.

"I hate to do that, but it might be the safest strategy," Prince Jake admitted.

"We can't go around peering into the minds of thousands of people," Cassie said firmly. "I agree that it may be the best option in some ways, but we have to use that morph conservatively."

"Cassie's right. We use the CAT scan on the majority of troops. We only use the Leeran on key people early on. Once we are in a secure position for the use of the CAT scan, no more Leeran." Prince Jake sighed. "The secret is to move cautiously. But I'm sure the government has procedures for handling a need to know situation. Once we have military aid, what are we going to do with them? We need to have a strong plan of action to present to the President."

"You mean we can't just go in and say 'The Yeerks are coming! The Yeerks are coming! Fix it?'" Marco laughed.

"OK. The Yeerks have more advanced weaponry. Hopefully, we have taken away their element of surprise, and will instead surprise them. What else can we do to gain the upper hand?" Prince Jake asked.

"What are the odds the Chee can get us the Yeerk battle plan?" Rachel asked.

"We are trying," Erek answered, "although we do not believe one has been drawn up yet. I will keep you informed."

I had little to add when we were discussing the meeting with the President. Now that we had returned to my area of expertise, I broke my silence. <It is likely that much of the actual battle will be directed by Visser One. If we attack him directly early in the battle, it will lead to confusion. Also, the Yeerk battle plan is probably not likely to be fully formed, as they will not expect a strong defense.>

"Good point, Ax," Marco said, "I'm finally starting to think this might just be insane, and not completely suicidal."

"Jake, we have reached the town." Erek informed us.

"OK. Our next step is breakfast. Marco, watch Tom. Ax, morph to human. Erek, find us a restaurant or gas station to stop at. Tobias, watch our backs," Prince Jake ordered. "Everyone, keep a low profile and don't let your guard down."

"Our boy Jake is going to miss giving orders," Marco joked, "Lighten up, it's just breakfast!"

Marco was right. Not that I would miss giving orders, but that it was second nature, now. I was used to it. And I did need to lighten up. I hoped I'd be able to, as soon as this was all over. I wanted normality. We gassed up the van, used the facilities, and bought some breakfast. We were on the road again very quickly.

We stopped again in a less populated area. Ax needed to feed as an Andalite. Tobias played lookout while Cassie and Rachel accompanied him in horse morph. Marco and I had the delightful task of guarding our prisoner while he, well, you can guess.

Then, once again it was back to planning. I wanted to be sure we discussed every possibility; every angle. One mistake, and that might be it for planet Earth.

"Now, the Yeerks will not expect a strong defense from planetary forces, but they will be expecting an Andalite attack on their command center. We need to find a way to catch them off guard despite that. Any ideas?" I asked.

<Prince Jake, I am not sure that it will be possible to surprise them. As you said, they will be expecting us. The time for stealth attacks is past. We are prepared for sacrifice. We hit the command center hard and fast.> Ax answered.

"Oh no! Rachel has taken over the Ax-man's brain!" Marco exclaimed in mock terror.

"That may be true, Ax, that may be true." I struggled to keep defeat from my voice. "But let's see if we can come up with something. We've done some pretty impossible things, and there are still six of us." <Jake's right. And it won't do us any good to get killed before we even get into the command center.> Tobias added.

"Jake, I think we could all use a break from this. We aren't going to make a very good impression if we fall asleep in the oval office." Cassie pulled me into her arms, and despite my protests, I was asleep within minutes.

I woke with a start. I looked around. Tobias was watching Tom, Erek was driving. Everyone else was asleep.

"Erek, where are we?" I asked.

"Kansas," he answered, "We will be crossing the Mississippi into Missouri within minutes. I expect to reach Washington by mid-morning tomorrow."

"How long have we been sleeping?" I asked. <Ax and I have each taken watch shifts. Everyone else has slept for about six hours.> Tobias answered.

"Good. Thanks, Tobias. I can watch Tom if you want to catch up on some lost sleep. We'll stop for a meal when everyone wakes up."

<I had a thought while you were sleeping.> Tobias said. <Cassie has a Yeerk morph. Tom here will be on our side in a couple more days. They could get into the Yeerks' command center fairly easily.>

"I'm not sure Cassie..." I started, but Tobias cut me off.

<I'm not completely sure Tom is asleep. I know it might make Cassie uncomfortable. But I can't imagine Tom wouldn't agree.>

Cassie stirred beside me, almost as if she sensed we were talking about her. "What are you two planning?"

"What, no 'Good morning, Jake. Sleep well?'" I joked.

She smiled and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Within minutes everyone was awake. We stopped at a McDonald's, and were soon back in the van munching fries while Tobias ripped into his mouse. It's amazing what you can get used to. We were all perfectly happy to eat while a hawk sat in our midst and disemboweled a mouse. In fact, the situation has become so normal to us that Marco didn't even bother to point it out.

Tobias repeated his suggestion to everyone. Cassie nodded. "If that's the only way, I'll do it," she said solemnly. "But it will really be up to Tom."

"I'm sure we won't have trouble convincing Tom," I answered, not sure if that was good or bad.

<It will take more than the two of you to defeat the Visser.> Ax pointed out.

<No one answer me; We don't want him to catch on. Several of us may have to morph Tom's Yeerk.> Tobias suggested.

Everyone was silent for a moment while we mulled over that suggestion. We had all done many creepy things over the years, but so far that particular horror had been reserved for Cassie alone.I nodded, and glancing at Tom, I whispered, "We'll all acquire it, just in case. But only three of us will have to use it."

I looked at everyone else. They all understood what I was suggesting.

"That would work," Cassie said simply. There was no emotion in her words or her face. Her eyes seemed empty. And I asked myself, how could I do this to her? But I couldn't leave Earth to the Yeerks, either.

I had morphed a Yeerk several years ago. A member of the Yeerk peace movement had been captured. She needed to be rescued. I was the only member of the group not infected with an alien virus, and Ax was near death. So I had gone down to the Yeerk pool alone, as a Yeerk in the head of one of our teachers. He and his Yeerk was also members of the peace movement.

It was not a good memory. Yes, I had been successful. I had even performed the surgery that saved Ax's life with the help of the rescued Yeerk. But I had been inside that man's head. I had seen his thoughts, and I had been trying to be careful of his privacy. But it hadn't been possible. It seemed like every part of the brain was full of memories. I felt the memory of his grief when his wife died, and I saw the memories of their marriage. I had felt horrible; I had violated Mr. Tidwell's privacy, and it was not something I cared to repeat. But to prevent the Yeerk takeover of Earth, I would do what had to be done.

The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. We slept in shifts, and Jake worked on his presentation for the president. He had to quickly convince one of the most powerful men in the world to listen to him, then he had to convince him that the Yeerk threat was real. Finally, he had to present a workable solution. Jake knew the enemy, and the president did not. That meant the responsibility for this battle remained on Jake's shoulders.

We arrived in Washington with a less than a day left before Tom's Yeerk would die of Kandrona starvation. If we needed the President to witness the sight, we had to move quickly.

We got a hotel room, and took turns showering. Once everyone felt presentable, we headed out for the White House. Fortunately, there was a morning tour. We each carried a live cockroach with us; if the bugs survived, we would know that there was not a gleet biofilter at work on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Erek and Ax stayed behind to watch Tom, and the five of us blended in with the other tourists. There was a regular metal detector, but the cockroaches survived. If there was a biofilter, it was not concealed there. We got to see the kitchen, and I was thrilled to see a few flies. There was also a cat prowling around. It looked promising.

Once outside again, it was time for action. We conferenced in the van.

"Plenty of open windows. No sign of Yeerk presence. I say we just go for it. Fly right in." Rachel, of course.

"Yeah, I'm sure no one notices a flock of birds flying into the White House," Marco said sarcastically.

"We can't afford too much caution," I agreed, "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be a little careful."

"One bird, five fleas?" Cassie suggested.

"Better. Tobias carries us in. We demorph in the bathroom off the Oval Office. I'll approach the President alone. The rest of you morph flies. Then, you won't be discovered prematurely but you'll be able to hear what's going on. You'll also be able to demorph when I give word."

"Let's do it!" Rachel said with enthusiasm.

"This, might I point out, is insane, but I'm with Xena on this one. Let's do it." Marco added.

I've been nervous before. I've risked my life, and the lives of my friends, more times than I can even count. We've done impossible, terrifying things. But this was different. I wasn't afraid of being killed on this mission. I was nervous about my ability to convince the President that I wasn't crazy. And I had to do it barefoot, in spandex. This was the ultimate public speaking nightmare.

We morphed to flea inside the van. We needed Ax, so we had no choice but to leave Tom alone with Erek. We stunned him with the dracon beam, and I felt like a heel for doing it. But we couldn't afford to lose him now. Tobias flew us in the open window. The office was empty, and so was the bathroom. We demorphed. The others immediately morphed flies. I stayed me. And waited.

"...and no interruptions," the President said as he closed his office door.

I waited for him to cross the floor, but I assumed there would be a panic button at his desk, so I stepped out of the bathroom before he reached it. I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender, showing no weapons.

"Sir, I need to speak with you privately, please," my voice was quaking. The leader of the free world looked at me in shock. "It's important, and I know I look a little crazy, but I can prove I'm not."

"How did you get in here?" he asked.

"I'll come to that if you hear me out," I answered.

"OK. I'll hear you out." Fortunately, he seemed to realize that humoring me was his best option even if I was some nutcase.

"Sir, I don't expect you to believe me. At least, not at first. But I can prove every word I'm about to say. The Earth is under attack, and we have less than two weeks to prepare for the main assault. Aliens have been infiltrating Earth for several years. They are a race of parasitic slugs called Yeerks. They take over the brains of their hosts, their slaves.

"Four years ago, an Andalite came to earth and gave my friends and I the power we use to fight the invasion. We can morph; become any animal we can touch. My friends are in the room now, in morph. Rachel?

"We were able to hold our own, as long as the Yeerks wanted to keep their presence a secret. But now, the Yeerks are preparing an all-out invasion. Without your help, Earth is doomed."

As I finished my summary, Rachel demorphed. The President stared in horror as my beautiful blonde cousin grew out of a giant housefly. Cassie and Marco weren't far behind her.

"And that, sir, is how we got in here. I'd like to present Rachel, Cassie, and Marco. I'm Jake."

The president, his grasp on reality obviously rattled, shook each of our hands. It gave him something normal to do while he tried to wrap his brain around the situation. That had been Cassie's idea.

"I'd also like you to meet Tobias, who was trapped in hawk morph during an early battle. You see, morphing has a two hour time limit."

A red-tailed hawk fluttered down to land on Rachel's shoulder. <It is an honor to meet you, sir.>

"Likewise," the President said to the talking hawk. He was starting to recover from the shock.

"And finally, meet Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, the brother to Prince Elfangor, who warned us of the invasion and gave us our powers."

The President stared in sheer blank system error at Ax, now in Andalite form. Ax bowed his head solemnly and said, <I am greatly honored to make your acquaintance.>

"Sir, if you'd have a seat, we'd like to discuss the situation with you in more detail," I said. "We are short of time, but the situation is far from hopeless. Please do not call anyone in here until we have finished."

The President walked around and sat at his desk. He struggled to regain his composure. It would have been nice to allow the man some time to adjust, but we didn't have the luxury.

"In their natural state, Yeerks are slugs. They are blind and deaf. The Yeerk enters its host through the auditory canal, flattens itself around the brain, and attaches its own neurons directly to those of its host. It then has complete control of the host's actions. It also has access to all of the host's knowledge, memories, and skills. A person infested by a Yeerk, known as a Controller, is nearly impossible to detect. Anyone could be a Controller.

"Fortunately, the Yeerks have a weakness. Once every three days, they must leave their hosts and swim in the Yeerk pool, where they absorb Kandrona nutrients. This weakness has helped us to identify human-Controllers.

"We have been fighting the Yeerks for three years, and we have held our own. Our power to morph is actually a technology invented by the Andalites. The five of us are the only non-Andalites to possess this technology. It has a few rules, but has proven to be a powerful weapon. We cannot stay in morph more than two hours, or we will be trapped in morph. We cannot morph directly from one form to another; we must pass through our natural bodies. But we have acquired dozens of morphs which have helped us for years. Also, the Yeerks believe we are all Andalites. We have kept our identities hidden.

"In addition to our powers, we have had a couple of other advantages. We have contact with a network of spies within the Yeerk forces. There is a growing Yeerk peace movement. These Yeerks understand that it is wrong to take control of an unwilling host, and they wish to find a new way of life.

"We also have a doomsday weapon. Exposure to instant ginger oatmeal will drive a Yeerk insane. Unfortunately, once exposed to that substance, a Yeerk loses its need for Kandrona nutrients. This means that the human host is now permanently the slave of a Yeerk, although that Yeerk is no longer in complete control and is no longer capable of working for the Yeerk invasion. You can imagine what torture that is for the host. There are a large number of such individuals in mental institutions, primarily in California. We have theorized that it may be possible to perform brain surgery to remove the Yeerk from those individuals already afflicted by this condition, but that would be risky.

"The Yeerks completely enslaved the Gedds on their home world. They now consider the Gedds to be inferior hosts, since they lack strength and dexterity. They conquered and enslaved the Hork Bajir, a peaceful sentient species of limited intelligence, but great physical power. They use these Hork Bajir as shock troops. Tobias?"

I paused, allowing the President to watch Tobias morph to Hork Bajir. "In their natural environment, the Hork Bajir eat bark. While they appear dangerous, they are actually adapted to strip bark from trees.

"The Taxxons, on the other hand, are cannibalistic. They surrendered to the Yeerks voluntarily, and should be considered Yeerk allies, rather than slaves. If you disembowel a Taxxon, it will actually attempt to eat its own internal organs before dying."

The president stared in horror as Cassie morphed a Taxxon. She morphed back immediately. Taxxon is an extremely unpleasant morph, not to mention the fact that it is exceptionally difficult to control.

"The Yeerk Empire is governed by a Council of Thirteen, which has recently given the order to accelerate the invasion of Earth. The highest military rank is Visser One. The current Visser One has enslaved an Andalite. He has the same morphing power that we possess. As Visser Three, he took over the invasion of our planet shortly before Prince Elfangor came to Earth. The former Visser One, who had begun the invasion, left Earth at that time and went to the planet Leera.

"The two Vissers were bitter rivals, and while visiting Earth Visser One interfered in Visser Three's operation, to our benefit. Friction between the two aided us greatly in our struggle.

"When the former Visser One was ordered executed as a traitor, we intervened. The human host previously enslaved by Visser One is living in seclusion, and will be available to help plan our military action. She is a wealth of knowledge on Yeerk battle strategy and weaponry."

"We have also kidnaped a known Controller of fairly high rank. His Yeerk will begin Kandrona starvation tonight. For a Yeerk, this is an unbearable way to die. We may be able to bargain with him and use him. Regardless, we cannot trust the Yeerk. The human host, however, will be a reliable source of information when free of the Yeerk.

"Once we have as much information as possible, we will be able to plan our defense. We already have a plan to infiltrate the Yeerk command center prior to their attack; we will be able to solidify this plan once we can count on your cooperation, as well as once we receive information on the battle plan itself." I stopped talking.

The president had sat and listened to my entire presentation. He had watched several morphing displays. I hoped he believed us. My instincts told me he had. I waited for his response.

"How do you know that I am not a Yeerk?" he asked.

"I don't, sir. We took a calculated risk coming here. We know that as of six months ago, you had not been infested. We know that there is not a major Yeerk pool in Washington. And we have found no evidence of a portable Kandrona within the White House. Our sources have heard no rumors of your infestation. We had to take the chance. We will not allow you to be alone, for any reason, until the battle. I hope you understand. It is for your own protection as well as ours. The Yeerks could be planning on grabbing you tomorrow, or next week. We don't know."

He nodded, "I understand. I will not object to your presence, under the circumstances. I doubt we will spend much time apart in the next two weeks anyhow. We need to work together on a plan of action; you are the expert on the situation. Our first step is to put together a top secret task force. But we need a way to be sure we don't accidentally recruit any... Yeerks. What would you suggest?"

"We were planning on using a modified CAT scan on the troops we'd be using. We figured if the President ordered medical tests on some military personnel, he wouldn't be refused. The trouble is that any Controllers who hear of it might catch on. The Yeerks have superior weaponry. We cannot afford to lose the element of surprise." I answered. "For that reason, we have reluctantly decided to use a slightly more controversial method. For those who will be in positions of command, or who will otherwise be involved in the planning stages, I regret to say that the best solution I have is to morph a telepathic species and check them myself. It is a step we have refrained from taking in the past, but I see no better alternative at this time."

Again, he nodded. "We'll have to set up in here, and bring people in here one at a time. No one leaves the room without being certified Yeerk free. I assume that begins with me?"

I nodded. I must say I was impressed. Here was the most powerful man in the world, and he was willing to work with a group of kids in spandex. And here was a man whose entire world view had just been destroyed, and he was holding it together. An impressive combination of strength of character and humility.

I began to morph the Leeran. It was a morph I had not used for years. When I finished, I could clearly read the President's carefully concealed terror. His desperate hope that he was right to place his faith in me, because he had no other choice. I saw private thoughts I had not wanted to see and which it would be inappropriate to repeat. But one thing was clear; this man was not a Controller. I demorphed quickly.

<We need to contact Erek soon. Tom could wake up any time now> Ax reminded us.

"OK. Rachel and Tobias: Go meet up with Erek. Check on Tom. Bring our stuff back here. Mr. President? What sort of delivery could show up here unnoticed? We'll create a hologram to mask the arrival of our prisoner."

"Office equipment. We have a copy machine that's been acting up. I doubt anyone would think twice if one were to be delivered."

"OK. You heard the man. And we'll need a real copier, too. It wouldn't look right if one was delivered, only to disappear. Seagull and flea. Go."

"You are very young to have such responsibility on your shoulders. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, sir."

"You've given me a great deal of information. How about you tell me some of the things you've done?"

"Fair enough, sir." What could I say? I had just witnessed this man's inner terror. I owed him a glimpse into my own brain, and I knew that he wanted some proof that he really could trust the world's fate to my hands.

I told him of our first trip down to the Yeerk pool. Of how it felt when I realized what we were up against. And of the horrible consequence of that failed mission; Tobias trapped as a red-tailed hawk.

I told him about the summit meeting. How the Yeerks had planned to infest the previous president and four other world leaders. How we had fallen into a complex trap. And how we were forced to break up the summit meeting with a desperate elephant attack. And I told him about David. How we had been forced to trap him in rat morph to avoid killing him when he betrayed us.

I also shared some more recent missions. I wanted him to see me as a capable leader, but I knew I would not sound honest if I didn't describe some of the growth I had experienced.

"So you see, sir, I've made mistakes. I've been forced to do things I am not proud of. But my friends are all still alive, and the majority of Earth is still free, so I cling to that."

Cassie spoke up, "Jake has lead us into hell itself and back again. But always back again. Somehow, he can think and make decisions that save lives when the rest of us are too tired, injured, or scared to even think."

"That is part of what makes a great leader," the president answered solemnly, "History will remember him as one of the great heroes of our time."

I blushed, but was saved by the bell when the office door opened itself and closed again.

"Erek?" I asked. The air shimmered. Erek, Tobias, Rachel and Tom appeared. Rachel had a dracon beam pointed at Tom's head.

"Mr. President, I think you'd better call your secretary in here," she said.

He complied instantly. I once again morphed the Leeran, but I was spared the discomfort of touching her mind. She fainted when she saw me, and I reversed the morph.

"Well, that was easy. She's no Controller," Marco laughed, and helped the president lift the poor woman onto a couch.

"Did anyone else see you come in here?" I asked Rachel.

"Secret Service saw two delivery men leave a copy machine at a rear entrance and drive back out the gate. I don't think the secretary saw anything, but I figured, you know."

"Good thinking Rachel. Tie Tom up in the bathroom," I ordered, "Ax, how long does his Yeerk have?"

<Approximately four hours and thirty six minutes.>

"Mr. President? I'd like to assemble and brief our team tomorrow, and we need to do some planning tonight. But I have security concerns. How many people have access to the West Wing?"

"If they haven't been compromised, we can trust Secret Service to do their jobs. Then again, your group got past them..." the President answered.

"OK. We'll call Secret Service people in here one at a time. I'll morph the Leeran, and conceal myself in Erek's hologram. Ax, stay behind the door. Be ready to knock out any Controllers I identify. Mr. President? Send those who are clear into the conference room. Marco, tie up any Controllers in the bathroom."

"Once we've cleared the Secret Service who are currently nearby, we'll determine who we need on the task force. You know better than I how many people you can call in here tomorrow without arousing too much suspicion. We'll have more information once we learn what Tom knows."

Once Jake was happy with our immediate security, we got down to business. I sat quietly on Rachel's shoulder and marveled at the site of a barefoot teenager in spandex talking military strategy with the leader of the free world.

"Mr. President, I believe we'll need a sizable Air Force unit to defend against the first attack. We'll then need ground troops to help with the cleanup operation. Finally, we'll need people to help deal with the aftermath. We'll have some very unique POW's, as well as some difficult medical situations, especially if we are forced to use oatmeal during the operation."

"OK. Secret Service, military personnel, NASA...Should I get someone from Area 51? They might have uncovered something there of which we are unaware."

Marco laughed. Jake gave him a look. "Unnecessary, sir. We know the secret of Area 51. The object kept there is, essentially, an Andalite toilet. It has no military significance whatsoever."

The next several hours were more of the same. Jake and the President were virtually the only ones to speak. Even Marco was for the most part quiet. The President was shocked to learn that the National Security Agency would be useless due to heavy infestation, but on the whole the discussion was fairly dry, so I'll spare you the details.

When Tom's Yeerk was within an hour of Kandrona starvation, we began to attempt to bargain with it. Unfortunately, it was a stubborn Yeerk. It could not be tempted by oatmeal, coaxed out at the sight of the blue box, or fooled with a fake Yeerk pool. It died in Tom's head, and none of us was able to acquire it.

My brother was free. That triumph overshadowed my failure to acquire his Yeerk. After all, there was certainly no shortage of Yeerks. We'd find a way to acquire another soon enough.

"Jake! My little brother is the leader of the so-called Andalite bandits!" Tom seemed delighted. "That filthy thing in my head has spent the better part of the last four years hoping to obtain an Andalite host. I'm glad I never suspected..."

"I wish I could have freed you sooner," I said apologetically.

"It's best you didn't. I have plenty of information you'll find very useful. That information is worth far more than the price I paid."

"Good. Do you know any specifics about the invasion plan?" I asked.

"I don't think the Visser has much of a plan. Basically, he's going to bomb the heck out of D.C., then split his troops and move up and down the East Coast. He expects no significant resistance, so that's pretty much it. He figures that once D.C. is a smoldering ruin, people will surrender in droves.

"You'd think by now he'd have more respect for humanity," Rachel scoffed. "He's been here nearly five years and he hasn't learned a thing!"

<Not a smart Yeerk> Tobias commented dryly.

"Tom, is there any chance you know the Visser's schedule? We know he has a private Kandrona. Do you have details?" I had a plan, but I hadn't wanted to mention it earlier. I wanted to know if it were possible first.

"Jake, your big brother is usually one of the guards for the Visser's host body. I know exactly how it works."

I smiled. I looked at my troops. "My friends, we have a way to win this," I announced.

Jake's plan was terrifying. But it was brilliant. I would go Yeerk. Tom would carry me down to the Yeerk pool. While creepy, that's not the scary part.

Tom would take his place guarding the Visser's host body, the Andalite War Prince Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, while the Yeerk fed on Kandrona. When Alloran's head was forced back into the Visser's private Yeerk pool, it would be me, and not the Visser, who would infest him.

"The timing will be crucial," Rachel fretted. "If Alloran doesn't agree to cooperate quickly, Cassie risks being trapped in morph."

"We have absolutely no reason to believe Alloran won't help us," I answered. <Cassie does risk being trapped in morph. But not because of Alloran. The visser may spend more than two hours in the pool.> Ax said.

"Tom will just have to find a place for her to demorph and remorph." Marco said.

"It doesn't have to be Tom," Rachel cut in. "Jake could morph Tom. That might be better, anyhow. Tom doesn't have the combat experience Jake has."

"I like that. We'll get in and get into position. We'll find an opportunity to demorph and remorph. We'll be in a position of authority, so it should be possible get out of site for a few moments." Jake agreed.

Tom nodded.

"If necessary, you can scrap the mission, free Alloran, and tear the place up," Marco half-joked.

"Hey, as long as the visser dies." Rachel said coldly.

"So, Tom, your choice. Can I borrow your DNA?" Jake asked.

"Absolutely. That's actually less creepy than having Cassie in my head." Tom answered. "No offense, Cassie."

"None taken. I agree." I assured him. "Actually, I was just thinking. The biofilter can't tell if the Yeerk is actually inside the host, can it, Ax?"

<I do not believe so, Cassie.> he answered.

We all stared at each other for a minute.

"OK. I missed that one." Jake said, a little embarrassed.

<That will increase the risk of detection; if anyone saw a supposed Controller carrying his Yeerk, it would look...> Ax pointed out.

<slightly odd.> Tobias finished. <But I think the odds of her being seen in Jake's pocket are less than the odds of her being seen slithering out his ear.>

"A new thought." I interjected. "A morph is just instincts, not memories. If a Yeerk entered the brain of a morph, wouldn't it only see what was in that physical brain?"

<You're right! When in morph, your real brain is in zero space! Cassie, I really think you've got something there!> Ax was astounded.

"So, let me get this straight. Say I morph Cassie. And Cassie morphs a Yeerk and infests me. Both of our real brains would be in zero space. She, as a Yeerk, would not be able to read my memories, only my instincts?" Rachel asked.

<It would require further study. But I believe that is a strong possibility.> Ax answered.

<A real Yeerk could force you to demorph, of course. We know that from Jake's experience.> Tobias pointed out.

"Jake! You were infested?" Tom asked.

"During one of our first missions, I was knocked into a portable Kandrona while in tiger morph. Fortunately, Ax caught on right away and they were able to starve the Yeerk." Jake paused. "It was... well, it was the first Yeerk that controlled you, Tom."

"So that's what happened. He'd been promoted, you know. They were going to give him the governor."

"We know. But back to business, here. I think I have a plan. I was reluctant to send everyone down to the Yeerk pool as Controllers. I think we all have enough bad memories and nightmares without peeking into each other's brains. But if this theory is true, we don't have to worry about that." Jake said, "Cassie and I can have backup for this, and I'd say that lowers the odds."

"OK. I morph Tom. Cassie goes as my Yeerk. Tobias and Ax have human morphs. Rachel and Marco play Yeerk. Then you all go Hork Bajir as soon as we get down there."

<Prince Jake, I'd suggest we test this theory first. It is only an educated guess.> Ax advised.

"Agreed. Volunteers?" Jake asked.

"I'm the only one who already has a Yeerk morph," I pointed out.

"Tom, may I?" Jake asked. He touched his brother's arm. Tom got a little glassy eyed. Then Jake started to change. It wasn't too much of a change, actually. Then it was my turn.

I shrunk. My entire body oozed mucous as my bones desolved and I became a slug. And Jake lifted me to his ear. I was hoping desperately that Ax and I were right, and that I wouldn't be able to see Jake's memories. We all needed a little privacy, and none of us needed each other's nightmares on top of our own.

I was only half way into Jake's ear when I realized my theory was invalid; I had barely touched Jake's mind when I got a glimpse of some pretty personal thoughts. I stopped and disengaged immediately. <Someone get me out of here, please!> I yelped.

"It didn't work," I stated simply after demorphing, I avoided everyone's eyes. What I had seen wasn't exactly horrifying, it just wasn't appropriate for group discussion and I was somewhat embarrassed.

"I'll carry her in," Jake decided "This is our last mission, so if some of us must go in human, well, it will be worth the security risk."

On that note, we retired for the evening. Erek spent the night tearing apart the CAT scan that had been delivered discreetly, everyone else took shifts guarding the President, and we all caught some sleep before the morning meeting.

The next morning we had thirty men and women gathered in a conference room adjacent to the Oval Office. We also had two unconscious controllers tied up in the bathroom. One was from the NSA and the other was Air Force. That was good and bad news. It meant that the Yeerks had managed to infiltrate both of those organizations, but then again we knew that. The good news was that we would soon know exactly how much influence the Yeerks had in those two organizations.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have asked you here today to discuss an extremely serious situation. I ask that you hold your comments and questions until after the presentation. I will now turn the floor over to the man who will lead this task force, Commander Jake Gates."

Thankful for the spandex-free clothing Rachel had brought me, I moved to the head of the table. "Thank you, Mr. President."

Jake hadn't been a normal kid for years. Now, as I watched him take the podium at the White House, I realized just how extraordinary he really was. Sure, I knew the dirty parts of Jake's job, but I was proud of my cousin.

I had seen his bravery in battle. But it took a different kind of courage to stand at a podium and address a room full of powerful men and women. Some magazine had once taken a poll of people's greatest fears. Public speaking had ranked above death.

Yet Jake seemed remarkably cool and confident as he began his speech. I could feel his determination from across the room, where I stood with Tobias and Marco.

"The situation is indeed serious. We as a nation are once again called upon to fight for freedom. Not merely freedom as an abstract concept. Not merely political freedom. Not merely freedom from a government we view as oppressive. In this coming war, the word freedom takes on new meaning. We are here to fight for the freedom of all of humanity, to fight against a human bondage worse than death. The responsibility for humanity's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is on our shoulders.

The facts, ladies and gentleman, are as follows: The Earth is under attack. Aliens have been infiltrating our world for several years. They are a race of parasitic slugs called Yeerks. They take over the brains of their hosts, their slaves..."

At this point, I had expected some response from the audience. I expected disbelief, annoyance at having busy schedules interrupted by what seemed a hoax. But they believed Jake. I could see it in their faces. Along with fear, and a determination to do their parts to fight this new threat. I marveled at the power of Jake's words.

He proceeded with the same basic presentation of Yeerk information that he had given the President earlier that afternoon. He introduced Ax, told of our original contact with Prince Elfangor, and gave a brief history of our struggle. He had Cassie demonstrate several morphs. As we had all agreed, he left out several things. We had chosen to share the facts regarding oatmeal with the President, and he had agreed with our decision that we not make that information widely available. The existence of a doomsday weapon was best kept secret.

We did not feel it appropriate to reveal the existence of the free Hork Bajir; that would be a decision for Toby, their seer. We also decided to reveal Erek and the Chee only to the President. Jake did not mention our possession of the Escafil Device. If we needed more morph capable members of our force, we'd use it. But we preferred not to be responsible for another David. We also held back information on our Leeran morph; there was no reason to make these individuals wonder if they had been personally violated. We also held back our plan to liberate Alloran. That was our 'ace in the hole,' so to speak, and even if the Yeerks discovered human awareness and military preparations, we would still have a chance if Alloran was free to play the role of Visser One.

"Today we will begin preparing for the most important military action in Earth history. I have faith in our ability to succeed. American history is full of success at overwhelming odds; The Revolutionary War was won by a handful of Patriots with the courage to stand against the entire British Empire. They were outnumbered and outgunned. But they were more determined. They were fighting for freedom. And no army is more powerful than one defending a cause for which they are prepared to give their lives.

I have faith in the resilience of the human spirit. Yet the words I choose make little difference in the reality of what we must now do. What will make the difference is your own determination. The future of human existence is now the responsibility of each and every one of you. And I know we will not only defeat the Yeerks in the battle for Earth, but that the human race will rise to take its place beside the Andalites in the final battle for the galaxy itself. For nothing is more precious to humanity than our God given free will."

The moment was indescribable. I had just witnessed a great historical event. I knew Jake was right. I knew we would win. That image froze in my mind. Jake, the great leader of Earth's Resistance, filled with a determination so fierce that it became tangible and spread to every member of his audience. In the background, the young Andalite warrior, pride in his Prince clearly visible. It would make a painting to rival Washington crossing the Delaware; the artist would certainly need to take less liberties than had *whoever painted Washington*.

The discussion got underway. Cassie questioned the Surgeon General in relation to her theories about the surgical removal of a Yeerk which had lost its dependence on Kandrona rays. Schematics of bug fighters and blade ships, drawn up by Marco's parents, were studied by military men. Maps of the greater D.C. area, as well as Northern California, were pored over.

The president handed out an unexpected order. "For the next two weeks, no one eats a meal that doesn't include instant ginger oatmeal."

That made everyone pause a moment. News of alien invasion they could accept. This was unexpected.

"Yeerk repellent," he explained. "If you are taken, we have reason to believe that the presence of this substance in your digestive tract might delay infestation."

Packets of breakfast cereal were passed out by the secretary I had startled the day before. The meeting broke for a quick lunch. Our little group gathered in the corner. "Schoolchildren everywhere are going to hate Jake forever!" Marco said.

<Why?> Ax asked.

"Because they are going to have to memorize that speech in future history classes." Marco explained.

Jake blushed furiously and everyone else laughed.

"Seriously, Jake, it was like the Gettysburg Address or something," Marco said, "You gave me chills."

An Air Force commander was dispatched to Area 51, allegedly to check on the possibility of a security leak. The real mission was to fetch Marco's parents. As a former host to a Yeerk Visser, Marco's mother would be invaluable in predicting Yeerk strategy. The Chee would fetch them from the valley of the free Hork Bajir and bring them to Crazy Helen's tourist shop just outside the base.

Before the meeting resumed, I overheard something that didn't make me too happy. The President was planning on issuing cyanide capsules to everyone on the task force.

While I understood the need for security, I didn't approve of this plan. Suicide, even for such a seemingly noble cause, was an end of hope. I worried about the psychological effect that order would cause, even with instructions to save it as a last resort. I explained my concern to Jake.

He went to the President, quietly requesting a private conference. The two disappeared together. I took the opportunity to ask Erek a favor.

"If we die, well, if we die there won't be bodies. If you can, if it's possible, explain what happened to us to our parents. Don't make it too terrible...." my words trailed off. I started again. "I just want my parents to know that I died fighting for a good cause, and I want them to know I loved Jake...that even through all the fighting and hardship, I found happiness as well."

"Cassie, I give you my word. I only hope I won't have to carry out your wishes." Erek promised.

"I will not have people commit suicide on my orders," I informed the President, speaking with more force and confidence then I felt. "And I will not allow you to give those orders for me."

The President met my gaze. It was a silent battle of wills for a twelve hour minute. He looked down first. "Find another way to keep those people from unwillingly betraying us all."

"I will, sir. That will be our next step."

I called the meeting back to order. "We need to address the issue of task force security. Obviously, due to the way the Yeerks work, absolutely no one can be trusted. The Yeerks even infest small children for use as spies. You all understand what Top Secret means, and I doubt that you really need the reminder. But I wanted to add that even admitting you were at a classified meeting might tip off a Yeerk.

"The larger concern is capture. We have no reason to believe that any one of you is currently a target for infestation, nor is it likely that you will be in danger before the attack, as long as you remain on the East Coast. However, we need to be prepared for the unexpected."

"We are all on the instant ginger oatmeal diet," one of the Generals pointed out.

"Yes, and in the event of capture, the Yeerks would probably hold off on infesting you until it was out of your system. The hope is that it would give you the opportunity for escape, or rescue. But the Visser is sometimes impulsive, and your oatmeal consumption might be overlooked or ignored.

"We need a small device capable of blocking the auditory canal. The catch is, if the Yeerks discover one, it might tip them off as to human knowledge of the invasion."

"So we should use cyanide capsules," the CIA agent suggested.

"No." I said firmly. "That would tip them off just as easily. Suicide is not an option, especially when its intended 'noble purpose' is in vain."

I turned to the Surgeon General. "I need internal hearing aids for every person here. They don't need to work, but they must be altered in order to be difficult to remove."

He nodded, "I'll have to pick them up myself. I assume it would be bad security to have them delivered."

"Agreed. Until everyone has been fitted with a pair of hearing aids, I will request that no one leave the White House. Cassie, would you please go along as backup?"

I figured she would put the time alone with the Surgeon General to the best use, and although I hated to be without her during the planning session, I knew it would be going on for several days.

As it turned out, Cassie returned at about the same time that Marco's parents arrived. Also accompanying them was Toby, to my delight. That meant we would have Hork Bajir assistance.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I am pleased to introduce Toby Hamee, the seer of the Hork Bajir people. They have been indispensable as allies."

Toby nodded to the group, and took the seat Tobias vacated for her. He demorphed and resumed his former perch on Rachel's shoulder.

"We are also now joined by Eva - , the former host Edriss Five Six Two, who held the rank of Visser One, and her husband, who is an expert on Yeerk technology."

Three days had passed since our arrival in Washington. None of us had gotten quite enough sleep. Between the long planning sessions, the actual preparations, and security for the entire operation, we were spread a little thin. But I was feeling a guarded optimism, and I wasn't alone.

Ax and I had taken a cue from the movie Independence Day, and had devised a computer virus of sorts to take out the shields and weapon systems on the bug fighters. Unlike in the movies, we would have to infect each onboard computer separately, and by hand, which meant a bit of risky sneaking around in enemy territory. But Jake had decided that we'd go for it, once the Visser was out of the picture.

My dad, in the meantime, was working feverishly to help upgrade Air Force weapons and shielding. The Yeerks were in for a number of nasty surprises. Through Erek's "Chee net" we had relayed a short message to Mr. Tidwell, the host of Illim, our contact in the Yeerk Peace Movement. The message was simple, "The Andalite's have a plan. Await further instructions." Jake wanted to make sure they did nothing to endanger themselves or our plans prematurely.

Tomorrow was the first, and in many ways the most important, step. Tom was fairly certain that the Visser would be feeding, and once again Erek's ability to communicate with the other Chee proved invaluable when Mr. King confirmed the timing.

Tom and Erek would remain in Washington. Our original team of six would return to the west coast, where we would carry out the mission to free Alloran. I wondered if any of us would be able to sleep tonight.

I woke up early, relieved to have slept at all. My brain was racing. Marco would have appreciated the irony of my thoughts. Here we were, about to undergo a series of bizarre mutations in order to kidnap an alien, thus allowing us to save the planet, and I actually felt that we were getting back to normal.

Morphing, fighting yeerks, and facing death were normal to all six of us. Leading a Presidential Task Force through three days of boardroom meetings was downright unnatural.

In the back of my mind I kept worrying that it was all a trap. They were all Yeerks, and now they had us; I had finally lost the game. Despite all the evidence I had presented, I still marveled at the fact that the President had believed me. Yet I had morphed the Leeran. I had seen into his mind. That was one doubt I could push aside, although I would remain cautious. Today was the day of Alloran's liberation; There was plenty of real danger to ponder.

I could have grabbed another half-hour of sleep, but instead I wandered around the White House and gathered my thoughts. Only Cassie had a Yeerk morph, which meant we were forced to either risk exposure or break our rule about using human morphs. I had already used Leeran morph recently, and I hated crossing that line. Ax had the ability to alter his own human morph, and he had taught Marco as well. I had Tom's permission. So, it was just Rachel and Tobias who had to break our policy. Somehow, that failed to make me feel better. Morphing humans, using human bodies without permission, was too close to what the Yeerks did. Different. Not as bad. But over the line.

I looked up at the portrait of Lincoln. The Great Emancipator. He had ended human bondage forever, or so we had thought.

George Washington looked down at me from a different wall. He had won his war, with only a handful of poorly equipped men, and in doing so had given democracy a chance. That he had succeeded against such odds had given me hope over the years.

Other presidents occupied the walls as well. I had studied all of them. I knew their strengths, their weaknesses, their successes, and their failures. I had read their speeches. I had studied their decisions. It had become an obsession of mine, to study the lives and careers of leaders throughout history. I read about them all; the great leaders, the infamously unsuccessful leaders, and those who had been merely adequate. There had been lessons to be learned from every one of them. And I knew that every lesson I had learned from another man's life would potentially save me from learning it the hard way myself.

The cruel irony was that for security reasons, I had no choice but to hide my knowledge and deliberately miss questions on history quizzes. I was an average student before this war, and that meant I could not afford to suddenly look like a history buff. Of all the injustices in this war that was certainly the smallest; it would make an entertaining story for the grandkids someday.

Grandkids. How I hoped that someday I'd have grandkids, and that they would live in a free and peaceful galaxy. Today the future freedom of Earth depended on my success.

I heard a sound, and turned to find Cassie approaching. Words weren't necessary. I hugged her, and we walked together to the morning meeting.

Ax and I had shared the last watch shift, so we were the last ones to arrive at the meeting. It was just the eight of us; the Animorphs, Erek, and Tom. Besides us, only the President knew the objective of the day's mission, and even he didn't have the details. That Jake had managed to enforce such a strict 'need to know' policy here that he had essentially pulled rank on the President was almost unbelievable to me. I always knew Jake was a natural leader, but the last few days I had been tempted to follow Ax's example and call him my Prince.

Jake wasted no time in starting.

"Erek and Tom, you will remain with the President at all times until we return. If the Yeerks get to him, we need to know immediately, so we can switch to plan B."

Jake handed a dracon beam to his brother. "Tom, do whatever you can to see that an attack is not successful, and that no Yeerks return from such a mission with news of failure. But do not risk getting captured. You know too much."

No one mentioned how little a chance Tom would have under such circumstances. I knew Jake wasn't happy with the situation, but he couldn't risk infiltrating the Yeerk pool with less than our full force. Besides, if the White House was the focus of a Yeerk attack, an Andalite defense would compromise security; the Yeerks would know that their activities were exposed.

"I think the odds of Yeerk activity here are microscopic, since it would risk compromising their security and accomplish very little, but I don't want to be caught unprepared."

"That's our Jake. Always be prepared like a good little Boy Scout," Marco joked. The unnatural sense of formality was broken.

"I've always admired their motto," Jake replied evenly, "Now, people, we have work to do."

"Let's do it!" Rachel responded with genuine enthusiasm.

We were flown to Area 51 by the same Air Force commander that had fetched Marco's parents. Jake fussed about whether the Yeerks would catch wind of the increased air traffic at the secret base.

"Increased traffic?" I asked incredulously, "Jake, they can't possibly notice two flights!"

"Well, the Yeerks might not notice directly. But what if someone at Area 51 makes a comment..." Marco stopped mid-sentence, "No, I guess those guys aren't really the type for gossip. Sorry, Jake, I'm with Xena on this one. I don't think we have to worry."

<Besides, we have enough to worry about> Tobias added.

"A little bit of caution never hurt anyone," Cassie countered.

Jake settled the matter. "We're meeting the Chee at Crazy Helen's; we're leaving the base in flea morph; short straw plays taxi. We morph before we land. If anyone is at all suspicious, at least they won't see six birds."

I rolled my eyes as Jake held out a fistful of pretzel sticks. Not that I'd argue with his order; Jake's caution had kept us alive for years.

"Please, Jake, tell me we're using bird-taxi, not dragonfly-taxi," Marco groaned. We rarely used the dragonfly for flea transport duty. Positioning five fleas on an insect wasted too much precious time.

"Don't worry, Marco, there's too much ground to cover for dragonfly," Jake assured him.

I drew the short straw.

"You'll have to go seagull..."

"I'll have to go seagull..."

"Jinx on you both!" Marco cried with childish delight, "And now that our fearless leader is stricken mute, I order us all to the beach."

Everyone laughed nervously. Marco had told a bad joke, and now it was my line. "Let's do it!"

I flew to Crazy Helen's, noticing just how little garbage there was at the military base. Our Chee contacts were buying tee shirts:

<Marco, you'll like this: The Chee are buying alien conspiracy tee-shirts.> I informed my passengers.

<Any other signs of life down there?> Jake asked.

<All clear. I can fly right in their car window.> I answered.

<Prince Jake, the vehicle may be a hologram; I'd advise caution.> Ax warned.

<Hey, caution is my middle name!> I responded, not waiting for Jake's routine objection to Ax's use of the royal affectation.

I wanted to dive recklessly through the open window, but I restrained myself. Gulls don't dive; gulls are more casual, and I needed to be inconspicuous. I landed, then fluttered up to the window.

<We're in.>

Once the Chee had us safely on the highway, we demorphed. Everyone was very quite. Rachel was visibly chafing at the bit to get to the action. Jake looked thoughtful, no doubt running possible scenarios through his head, trying to make sure all the bases were covered. Ax was probably worrying over Alloran's cooperation as if he were personally responsible for the old prince's behavior.

I was more than a little worried about Alloran's state of mind myself. I was going to be inside his head, unwilling witness to every horrible memory, every dishonorable thought, every painful longing for home. Worse yet, I had no choice but to take complete control of that tortured soul. I could not allow him free will until we had him alone; I would be using Alloran as my slave just as the Visser had.

"OK. I don't like it any more than you, but we've all acquired different people over the years. Use them. Cassie? It's time." Jake was already morphing his brother as he gave the orders.

I began to shrink, and my entire body oozed a noxious slime. I couldn't breathe. Forcing down my revulsion, I raced through the unpleasant morph. Jake/Tom reached down and picked me up. I would travel to the Yeerk pool in a ziplock bag.

<Don't forget, we can all use thoughtspeak while in morph, even human morph. Take advantage of that.>

With that final reminder, we headed for Hell on Earth, the Yeerk Pool. I was blind and deaf, trapped in a sandwich bag, and I was the lucky one. Jake's thoughtspeak reassured me. Five Happy Meals had been ordered, one at a time, with extra happy. One at a time, we entered the walk-in freezer and descended the metal staircase.

Rachel, Tobias, Marco, and Ax all found hiding places. They morphed Hork Bajir, and waited. Jake and I headed for the Visser's private Kandrona. I couldn't hear what was happening around me, but I knew Jake was following Tom's instructions to the letter as he played his part.

<The Visser is already feeding,> Jake told me. <Either I'm late or he's early. Here we go.>

I felt Jake's hands around my slimy body. With a soft plop, I fell into the small pool. I was alone with the Visser. He was unaware of my presence. I don't know how long it was before there was a disturbance in the pool. Then Jake spoke again.

<The Visser is dead.>

More silence.

<I sent the Hork Bajir guards to fetch Alloran. You need to move quickly to get to the briefing room. We're short on morph time.>

I mentally shuddered at the thought of being trapped as a yeerk. Then it was time. My yeerk body sensed Alloran's head being thrust into the pool. As I entered his ear, I could tell he was unconscious. I touched his mind. He woke up and struggled. Gaining control was much harder than I expected. This slave had not given up the fight.

<Weakening, Esplin?> Alloran thought hatefully, <I'll win one of these days.>

<Esplin is dead> I replied privately. Then, in the shouting thoughtspeak of the now deceased Visser One, I demanded that Tom accompany me to the briefing room.

<Dead? Who are you?> Alloran was hopeful. He was also afraid to hope.

<One of the so-called bandits. I'm here to rescue you, and recruit you. But I'm closer to life as a nothlit then I'd wish to be, so we must hurry.>

I felt his joy, among other things; I tried to ignore his thoughts as I raced to the private briefing room. "Tom" and I entered, and found that everyone else had already snuck in. Three Hork Bajir were seated around a conference table. Ax was fully Andalite, hiding behind the door.

<All clear, Cassie>> Rachel told me.

I was confident enough of Alloran's cooperation to bail. I would not spend life as a Yeerk. I released his brain, and slithered from his ear. Demorph! That was my only thought as I fell to the floor with wet thud and began to grow.

Alloran spoke his first word in freedom. <Human!>

Ax stepped out of hiding. <War-Prince Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, welcome. I'd like to introduce my prince.>

<I have long wished to meet your prince, Aximili.> Alloran responded. He looked around expectantly. Jake demorphed. I was worried. Other Andalites had been highly critical of my loyalty to a human. But Alloran surprised me pleasantly. He barely hesitated.

<Prince Jake, leader of the Resistance.>

<I am honored. I thank you for my freedom. I swear my allegiance to you.>

Jake made the appropriate Andalite response, an action I knew that Alloran appreciated.

"Now, we need to take the Blade Ship. Alloran, get us on board and off the ground." Jake ordered, "Everyone else, Hork Bajir."

Cassie and I morphed, and we all followed the "Visser" to his ship like obedient Hork Bajir guards. I was glad we had succeeded. But I was just a little...is "jealous" the right word? Not really. Part of me felt that the Visser's death should have been at my hands, not Jake's. I had failed to avenge Elfangor as honor demanded. But had I met him tail to tail, Alloran would have died, and I suspect I would have as well. And what did it matter, really, who squashed a slug? I suspect Elfangor would have been glad that Alloran lived to enjoy freedom and fight for his people once again. His life had been honored appropriately.

Alloran ordered the Blade Ship into orbit. Taxxons, humans, and Hork Bajir scrambled to obey his every wish. The Visser's tyrannical nature worked to our advantage. Alloran could have behaved in any suspicious manner he chose, and these underlings would have been too terrified to suspect a thing.

Ax disabled the ship's communications system; if we were suspected, no loyal yeerks could warn their comrades. Despite Rachel's desire, we had no need to take the ship by force immediately.

The seven of us gathered in the Visser's quarters.

"We need as many allies as we can gather. I don't want any Hork Bajir or human controllers seriously injured as we take over the ship." I looked at Alloran. "I assume most yeerks would leave their host on direct orders from the Visser?"

He looked surprised. <I doubt the yeerk lives that would disobey any order from Visser One, but it would be an unexpected command.>

"I know," I replied. "It would give us away if we didn't move with extreme caution, but it will work. We simply don't have time to starve out these yeerks."

The liberation of these hosts was a tedious process. We started with the humans. Each was summoned in to a meeting with the visser. Alloran would then bluster and bellow, questioning their loyalty. The Controller would cower and plead. Alloran would then give his shocking order, <Prove your loyalty. Leave your host.>

There would be shock, then obedience. Tobias or Rachel, as Hork Bajir, would move swiftly to keep the newly free human from slaughtering the slug. For the most part, they were successful. Ax would reveal himself. I would explain what was happening to the suddenly free human. Cassie would take them aside for some brief counseling. And once we were sure we could trust them, we sent them back to their duties. Those that were too upset to cope quite yet, or seemed otherwise untrustworthy, were temporarily locked up.

With the humans, it was easier. They were for the most part smart enough to grasp the situation, capable of playing the parts of their yeerks, and willing to follow the orders of the "bandits" who had been fighting for their freedom.

The Hork Bajir, however, were harder. They were terrified of Alloran, slow at grasping the concept of our deception, and relatively incapable of complex planning. "Jara Hamee" and "Ket Helpak" (Rachel and Tobias) worked hard to reassure them. But I wouldn't trust any of them to leave the room until we had them all. It got crowded.

Then it was time to deal with the Taxxons. They were Yeerk allies, not slaves. Here was the first disagreement between Alloran and I. Rachel, Marco, and Alloran wanted to simply slaughter the giant cannibalistic worms. I suspected that Ax and Tobias possibly agreed, although they remained silent. Strategically, keeping the Taxxons alive was risky. But Cassie didn't approve of outright murder, and ethically she was right. I was tired of compromising my morals on this mission, and I held firm. They would have to be herded into the brig.

I was annoyed with Jake. We had a planet to save, and he didn't want to kill some worms? How many thousands of Taxxons had we killed over the years, and now it was wrong? But then again, I understood that Jake didn't want to become an executioner.

We went to the bridge, and Alloran ordered two Taxxons from their posts. The moved along obediently, for about two minutes. The fouls things then turned and attacked the nearest Hork Bajir, which just happened to be Tobias. I reacted without thinking, and my blades made short work of the Taxxons. The stench of Taxxon guts immediately attracted the others on board. To a Taxxon, the death of a fellow Taxxon meant only one thing: a feast.

Alloran barked orders at the Taxxons, but was ignored. One turned on Cassie, and any chance of preventing a battle was gone. I slashed and hacked my way through the mass of Taxxons, sliding on spilled guts and ignoring the pain of needle-sharp Taxxon teeth. I could morph away the injuries, and a Taxxon was little match for a Hork Bajir.

It was over in minutes, and I was oddly disappointed. Ax and Alloran both had gore on their tail blades. Cassie and Tobias had both killed their attackers. For a moment, I was jealous of their kills. Then I was horrified at my thoughts. Jealous of their "kills"? When had I become so bloodthirsty that I took pleasure in massacring Taxxons? I looked at the gore on my wrist blades, and I suddenly needed to be Rachel again. I demorphed.

Jake and Marco raced off in opposite directions, searching for any remaining Taxxons. Cassie had a bad bite on her leg, and was demorphing to repair it. Tobias had demorphed, and was on his way back to Hork Bajir.

"Tobias, go human, please?" I asked. He looked at me, and reversed his morph. Once he was human again, I pulled him into an empty room and hugged him.

"Rachel, are you okay?" he asked.

"Tobias, am I bloodthirsty?" I questioned, looking him in the eye.

He looked back at me with such a look of love that I started to feel better instantly. "Reckless, maybe. Impulsive. But I wouldn't call you bloodthirsty."

"Just now, when the battle ended, I was disappointed."

"I know. You've been tense. You don't like to wait. You like to jump right in and get things done. Now you finally got something to do, and I think it was over a little too quickly."

"I was annoyed that the rest of you had done any fighting. Like you stole my kill or something."

"You just weren't through blowing off steam, and you know that if you had taken on the Taxxons alone it would have taken another three minutes."

"What really worries me is that part of me wished for Hork Bajir to fight instead."

"A good sign. You don't want to hurt any Hork Bajir; you just like a fair, honorable fight. This was too close to pure slaughter, and that bothers you."

"When did you become so wise?"

"I just know you, Rachel. I love you."

We decided to stay in the closet for just a few more minutes and blow off steam in an entirely different way.

"Was it awful?" Jake asked, when we were finally alone.

"What?"

"Being inside Alloran's head. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. It wasn't a picnic, but I'll survive."

He hugged me. "Cassie, I hate to ask you this, but I need to know. We can trust Alloran, right?"

"Yeah, we can. He has admired you for years; he assumed you were Andalite, of course, but I don't see why his opinion would change after learning differently. He swore his allegiance, and I believe he was sincere. He followed your orders during the Blade Ship takeover, even when his own instincts ran in different directions."

"That was my take on it, too."

"He's made some mistakes in his life. Big ones. I think he'd rather not lead anything for a while."

We were quite for a few minutes. Jake broke the silence.

"I murdered him," he said. I didn't ask who. He meant Esplin. The Visser.

"And he murdered Elfangor," it wasn't the most brilliant reply, but for once I was unsure as to what to say. I considered telling him what I had done to John Berryman, but somehow I doubt that knowing my greatest sin would have made Jake feel better.

"And countless others. But two wrongs don't make a right."

"No. No they don't. But Jake, we've all been forced to do things we aren't particularly proud of. The Visser's death is hardly a tragedy."

"I know. If he had died in battle it would be different. But I killed him in cold blood."

"I understand. Yet if it had been a fight, Alloran would be dead. You did what you had to do."

"I didn't have to kill him. He was defenseless. I could have stuck him in my pocket."

"And done what? Risked getting caught? Risked giving us away? Doomed the planet? All so that an evil slug could have a chance to survive in a plastic tub somewhere?"

"I know. He'd have starved in three days anyhow, and I'd still be responsible for his death. Maybe I'm wrong to indulge my guilt like this."

"It would be more of a problem if you didn't feel some regret. That's what makes you one of the good guys."

"I hope I really am, Cassie, I really do. Sometimes I don't feel that sure."

"You are, Jake. I'll tell you if you ever go too far."

We re-entered atmosphere on the east coast. Ax restored communications, and Alloran informed his underlings that he would be in Virginia preparing for the invasion. They didn't question him.

We left Ax in command of the ship. The rest of us morphed birds of prey. As the ship flew above D.C., we bailed out and flew back to the White House. Ax would remain in stationary orbit above the capital.

Alloran morphed a kafit bird.

<I can't believe that after all this time on this planet, that arrogant fool never acquired a single native animal.>

<Just stay above Rachel, so the birdwatchers can't get a clear look at you.> Tobias advised.

<We'll get you some Earth morphs> Jake assured him, <But first we need to check on the President and make some concrete battle plans.>

<Check on the President... Jake, what happened to our lives?> I asked, <Normal guys check the oil in the car, or check on dinner. They do not need to check on the safety of the President.>

Jake ignored me. <Battle morphs when we arrive. Just in case.>

<E-mail. That is something normal people check.>

<No elephants or alien monsters. Just be ready to defend yourselves. Andalite. Grizzly. Gorilla.>

<The score. Normal, average people check on football games. They walk through the living room, and say, 'Hey, Dad, what's the score.' Normal.>

<We're here.>

Fortunately, everyone was fine. Not that we could take their words for it. But Erek confirmed that they had not had Yeerk visitors.

To his amazement, my mother was among those who greeted Alloran.

<The host of Edriss!> he exclaimed. <I'm sorry, but Esplin never bothered to learn your name.>

"Eva" she supplied, shaking his hand. "I'm pleased that I may finally speak to you. I trust Esplin is dead?"

<You may rest assured that the abomination no longer plagues the galaxy.>

"Alloran, we are ready to begin," Jake called.

<Yes, Prince Jake> he answered.

"Oh, no. Not another one!" I groaned.

We all listened intently as Alloran described what there was of the Visser's current battle plan. He would continue to play the part of the ruthless yeerk, so we would be able to coordinate his doomed attack with a crippling defense.

Our Air Force people were off modifying their jets with the help of Marco's dad. Other recruits were off performing various functions.

"The real question here is how to keep controller casualties low." Jake said when Alloran finished. "Those bug fighters will be without shields or weapons; we are in a position to command their movements; and our own forces are prepared. In short, we now have the upper hand. And that means we have an ethical responsibility to find a way to save as many lives as possible. Suggestions?"

"We take the places of the bug fighter pilots. When our engines are disabled, we bail out. When we're clear, the Air Force finishes the job." Marco suggested.

"One problem. There aren't enough of us." Rachel pointed out, "We won't have enough pilots."

"We have pilots," Toby answered, "My people can do it."

I sent her a private thoughtspeak message. <It will be dangerous.> She looked at me as if I was an idiot.

Jake looked torn. He didn't want to endanger the Hork Bajir, but Toby's suggestion did solve one of his major problems. "Okay. But make sure your volunteers understand the risks. We'll have to help you get into position."

"What do we do with the real pilots?" Cassie asked.

<I'll arrange a training exercise the day before the attack. Toby's forces can take their places then.> Alloran answered.

<It won't be much different from one of our usual raids.> Toby assured us.

"That will give us a chance to put parachutes on board the bug fighters," Marco added.

<We'll have to do something with the Taxxon co-pilots,> I reminded everyone.

"Just throw them in a cage and let them eat each other," Tom suggested. "The yeerks won't notice a few missing."

"I can't say I like that idea, but I suspect its the best alternative," Jake agreed. "We can lock them up and worry about them after the battle."

"Hey, it's not our fault if they eat each other," Marco said, earning a dirty look from Cassie.

"Are we sure the yeerks won't miss those Taxxons?" Jake questioned, looking from Alloran to Eva.

"It is possible that one of the other Taxxons might notice, but that's unlikely, I would think." Eva assured him.

<I can silence any Taxxon that notices. But Taxxon disappearances are hardly unusual. It amazes me that the Visser has any Taxxons left in his organization at all.> Alloran added.

"I'd like to keep our pilots away from the general yeerk population, if possible. Can you do that?" Jake asked Alloran.

<I can arrange to isolate them on the grounds that I suspect the Andalite bandits will attack.> Alloran answered.

"Perfect," Jake answered. "Now, we need to plan our attack on the Yeerk Pool."

It went on for another hour. Sneaking in and out of our personal hell on earth was now greatly simplified. The "Visser" could come and go as he pleased. Between now and d-day, there would be several such trips.

Erek and the Chee arranged for Cassie to meet with Mr. Tidwell and Illim. We collaborated on a list of Controllers we needed to specifically free in the next few days. The issue of Chapman came up.

"He's a voluntary. We can't trust him. Period." Rachel stated.

"He has power. If he gets suspicious he could organize an overthrow of the Visser." Marco countered.

"We can't afford to eliminate him. It would be noticed." Cassie worried.

"Someone could morph him." Tom suggested tentatively.

"No. That would be a big risk." Jake decided.

<I could send him to France,> Alloran offered.

"Is that Andalite humor or a real possibility?" Jake asked.

<It would work, I believe.> he answered.

"Then we do it. And speaking of France, I need more information about the current situation there."

France was in trouble, basically. Jake rubbed his temples as he listened. "Well, it looks like we have our work cut out for us."

Throughout it all, the President was quiet. He had entrusted Jake with the safety of the planet. Now, having delegated authority, he seemed content to play a quiet role. I didn't know whether to respect him for knowing when to follow the lead of someone more qualified, or to worry about his lack of input. It made me very glad that Jake was the leader, and not me.

Our meeting ended. Alloran and Tom returned to the Blade Ship, relieving Ax. Ax, Marco, and I accompanied the President out to the Air Force base to check on preparations there. Tobias, Rachel, and Cassie took the opportunity to get some rest.

"Son!" Marco's father greeted him with enthusiasm. "Watch this!"

He pulled a quarter out of his pocket and threw it at an F-16. The coin didn't get within three feet of the aircraft, bouncing off of what appeared to be empty space.

"You've got the shields working!" Marco replied with enthusiasm.

I smiled. This was good news, indeed. I had been afraid to count on the Air Force planes being shielded.

"Can this thing leave the atmosphere?" the President asked.

"We believe so, sir," Ray replied. "But if the shields were to go down the pilot wouldn't survive re-entry."

"Let's try not to test that theory," I interjected. "How many aircraft do you think we'll have ready in time?"

Morning came too early. I splashed cold water on my face and headed towards the oval office in search of coffee. Toby had left for the Valley the night before, but I wanted to go over the plan with Ax and Alloran one more time.

Toby and her team would stage an ambush. Ax was going along as backup, but the rest of us would remain behind. We had to infiltrate the Yeerk Pool for the second day in a row later today, and I had decided that my team needed some amount of rest.

Logically, there was no reason to be overly concerned. A dozen Hork Bajir Controllers and some Taxxons against twenty of Toby's people, Ax, and Alloran? No contest. But I worried.

I don't think Rachel was happy with me when I left the White House and headed for my rendezvous with the Blade Ship. She had wanted to cover backup on this mission, but Jake had given me the assignment.

I sat in the pilot's seat of the Blade Ship in Hork Bajir morph, and watched Alloran bluster at the pilots of the Bug Fighters. Those poor Hork Bajir Controllers were so terrified of their Visser they could barely follow orders properly. I was afraid they would crash into one another in their distraction.

When we all landed, we missed the mark by nearly a quarter of a mile. Shockingly, one of the pilots sensed that something was amiss when Alloran ordered them out of their fighters.

"Traitor! Andalite bandit!" he shouted. "You are not the Visser!"

The others believed him, and attacked Alloran. I demorphed and rushed to his aid. <Stay here.> I ordered the former Controllers on the Blade Ship. <Contact Jake if we fail.>

One of the pilots bolted for the woods, and Alloran took off after him. It was me against eleven Hork Bajir and twelve Taxxons. I battled desperately, but I knew I was in trouble. Hork Bajir blades cut me from all directions. Needle-sharp Taxxon teeth sought vulnerable flesh. As fast as my tail blade was, it wasn't fast enough to hold off attackers from all directions at once.

Suddenly, I wasn't alone. The human girl appeared as if from nowhere, baseball bat in hand. She made good use of the makeshift weapon, and soon the tide of the battle changed in our favor. Unconscious Hork Bajir littered the ground.

Breathing hard, she turned to me. "Elfangor? It can't be you, can it?"

The hopeful look in her eyes made me regret the necessity of telling her the truth. <No. Aximili. You knew my brother?>

"He's dead, isn't he," she whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes. I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as she struggled to regain her composure.

<Loren!> Alloran had returned, and now stared in amazement at the blonde human girl with the baseball bat.

"Visser Three," she spat, wielding her weapon. Alloran blocked her swing, but barely.

<Esplin is dead> he told her.

"Alloran, you're free? That's the best news I've heard all day," she replied joyfully.

<I'm glad you feel that way. After what happened in Taxxon space...>

Toby's group appeared, and began hauling our unconscious prisoners towards the Blade Ship. We all pitched in; the girl didn't hesitate to grab a large Hork Bajir and start dragging. The curiosity was killing me. Who was this human girl who knew Elfangor, and apparently the Visser as well? She certainly didn't look old enough to have known Alloran before his captivity.

Alloran had a similar thought. <Loren, it's been twenty years. Yet you've barely aged. How is that possible?>

"Twenty years? I knew time had passed...but twenty years?" she recovered quickly. "Anyhow, long story. Are you familiar with the Ellimist?"

<Ahhh. Now I understand.> Alloran answered.

I watched Jake pace the floor, rubbing his temples checking the clock every two minutes. Finally, Ax returned with news of the morning mission.

<Tobias, was your mother's name Loren?> Ax asked. I don't know what I had been expecting him to say, but that wasn't it.

"Um, Ax?" Jake questioned. "How did the mission go?"

<Fine, Prince Jake...well, not fine, actually, but it turned out fine. So I guess my answer is, fine.> Ax answered, oddly distracted.

I must admit I was pretty distracted myself. My mother? Why on Earth would Ax ask about her? Especially after a mission - odd.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Ax would start stuttering in thoughtspeak," Marco commented.

<I do not believe that I was stuttering, although I will admit I was experiencing some difficulty in organizing my thoughts. The mission was...eventful.> Ax replied.

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Jake suggested.

<Well, the Visser's pilots weren't very good at following Alloran's orders. We missed the mark, and landed a distance from Toby's troops.> Ax began. <One of the Hork Bajir Controllers declared Alloran an Andalite bandit, then took off.>

"Oh no," Cassie gasped.

Jake looked pale.

<Alloran gave chase,> Ax continued. <I was left to face eleven Hork Bajir and a dozen Taxxons alone. Then, out of nowhere, this human girl appeared, with a baseball bat. She saved my life.>

"Ax got his butt saved by a human girl with a baseball bat?" Marco asked, incredulous.

<She was no ordinary girl. She called me Elfangor. And Alloran knew her.> Ax explained not at all. <She was remarkably efficient with her weapon.>

<Ax...> I began tentatively <You mentioned my mother?>

<She made no such claim,> Ax answered. <But I have a suspicion. She appeared too young, but Alloran claimed to have known her twenty years ago, and she mentioned the Ellimist.>

<It must be her...> I answered, barely daring to believe. <How many women named Loren could Elfangor have known?>

"Where is she now?" Rachel demanded.

<With Alloran on the Blade Ship.> Ax replied. <I have not told her of my suspicion. She was quite upset at the news of Elfangor's death.>

"She didn't know? That's so sad," Cassie commented.

"This could prove a complication." Jake interjected. "First of all, are we sure this Loren is not a Controller?"

<Quite certain, Prince Jake.> Ax answered. <If she were a Yeerk, she could have become a Visser today merely by standing idle and letting me die.>

"Fair enough. I assume Alloran and Toby are continuing the training exercise?" Jake asked.

<Yes, Prince Jake. They will not return to the Yeerk Pool without backup.> Ax answered.

"Good. We need to get down there so that you and Marco can program your virus. Any volunteers to stay here with Erek and the President?" Jake asked.

"I will," Eva answered. "I can't go on the mission anyhow."

"Imagine the panic that the late Visser One could cause in the Yeerk Pool," Marco mused.

Eva laughed, "That would be interesting."

"You two are sick," Rachel commented. But she was smiling at the thought as well.

I wondered if I would be able to joke with my mother soon. I wondered if she really was my mother, or an elaborate Yeerk hoax. A memory of a certain photographer cousin came to mind.

"Anyhow..." Jake interjected. "We have a mission to plan, people."

"People? You're calling us 'people' now?" Marco questioned.

"Yeah, Jake. Don't offend Marco and leave him out," Rachel joked.

Jake sighed. "Marco, is that virus ready to go?"

"Yes, sir!" he answered with a salute.

"Ax, did Alloran confirm a time to meet?" Jake asked.

<Yes, Prince Jake. He will be over the rendezvous point at approximately 2:38 pm, Eastern Standard Time.> Ax replied.

"Approximately? Ax-man, get out a dictionary. That is simply not an approximation." Marco groaned.

"Tobias?" Rachel looked concerned. "What are you thinking?"

<I'm thinking that our lives have gotten profoundly weird.> I answered.

"No, seriously. Your mother just appears and saves Ax's life? How much sense does that make? Someone has some explaining to do!" Rachel struggled to keep from raising her voice. "She leaves you with apathetic relatives for your entire life, and now she's suddenly back?"

<You heard Ax. She mentioned the Ellimist. It might not be her fault.> I answered.

"And what right did he have? He took your father; now we find out he took your mother, too?" Rachel raged. "Is that what he calls 'not interfering'? Stealing parents from children?"

<Rachel, calm down. Life isn't fair; we know that. But now I might have a chance to get to know my mother. This is a good thing.> Until I said it, I hadn't been sure. But however apprehensive I felt, I was looking forward to approximately 2:38 PM, Eastern Standard Time.

I was angry. Hadn't Tobias been through enough? It was the Ellimist who had whisked Elfangor across the galaxy before Tobias was born. It was the Ellimist who, however indirectly, had dragged us all into this war. And it was the Ellimist who had given Tobias back his morphing power without restoring him to his human body. It was unbearable to think that the same being was responsible for the fact that Tobias grew up without a mother.

And if the Ellimist was not responsible, and this woman had willingly abandoned her son... Well, then a baseball bat certainly wouldn't be enough to protect her.

We were in the air at two-thirty. We were on our way to yet another trip into the Yeerk Pool, but that wasn't what was making us edgy. We were all wondering about Ax's mysterious savior; Tobias especially.

Jake and Marco were concerned that her appearance was some sort of Yeerk trap. I was worried about that possibility as well. I was also uneasy about the effect this would have on Tobias.

Alloran was punctual. The six of us flew into the ship, demorphed, and headed for the bridge.

"Rachel, Marco: battle morphs. Just in case." Jake ordered. "Everyone else: Stay yourselves."

I morphed to grizzly. When we reached the bridge, we found Tom at the weapons station. Sharing the helm with Alloran was a teenage girl with long blonde hair and hopelessly out of fashion clothing.

"What's the situation?" Jake asked, looking around the bridge warily.

<The Visser had planned an important meeting of the Sharing for tonight. Tom and I must attend or Chapman may get suspicious. Toby and I are nearly finished with the exercises.> Alloran answered.

"We'd better get him shipped off to France before he becomes a problem," Jake replied. "Where's this mysterious Loren?"

<Prince Jake, may I present my old friend Loren...>

The teenager in the unlikely clothing rose from her seat at the helm. This couldn't be her; she was no older than Tobias himself.

<It's her, but how...> Tobias told me in private thoughtspeak. <Ax, when you said 'girl' and 'appeared too young' you really meant it, didn't you?> Tobias questioned.

<Yes, Tobias> Ax answered. <She mentioned the Ellimist; I imagine he has tampered with her personal timeline.>

<...And Loren, may I present Prince Jake, leader of the Resistance.> Alloran continued.

"Pleased to meet you, Loren. It sounds like we were lucky that you happened by this morning." Jake said cautiously. "How did you happen to be in the woods?"

"I don't know. My memory is a little jumbled. I thought I was just on the Taxxon home world, but I have memories from much later..." she mused, "...I was at home, and something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what...Then I knew. Elfangor was missing. The Ellimist appeared. He told me he could make me forget. It made me so angry. He had taken my husband and now he wanted to take my memory of him? I remember arguing...it felt like forever..."

Her words trailed off. I realized she was fighting back tears. Jake and Cassie exchanged a look. They were trying to decide whether or not to trust her, and how to proceed.

Loren spoke again. "I don't know what happened. But I do know what is going to happen. Alloran filled me in. We have a war to win. We'll figure out the rest later."

With that, I knew I was going to like Loren.

I decided to trust Loren. If there was a Yeerk in her head, it deserved an Academy Award. Cassie thought she was sincere, and we needed to get back to business. We had a great deal to accomplish in the next twenty-four hours.

"Who is on this ship other than the nine of us?" I asked. We had been forced to keep a number of former Controllers on board as part of Alloran's cover, instead of sending them to the relative safety of the refugee camp as I would have preferred.

"There are a couple of former human hosts in engineering," Tom replied.

"Where are the rest?"

"Still in the Hork Bajir valley, as we discussed." Alloran answered.

"Good. Alloran, take us into the docking bay. Be ready to fight if they're on to us. Tom, don't leave the weapons station until Alloran gives the all-clear. Loren, am I to assume you can fly this thing?"

"Yes," she answered confidently.

"Good. Do not leave the helm; Be ready to take off. Ax and Marco, as soon as we're clear you need to go Hork Bajir and get to work on installing your virus. Everyone else, let's find a hiding place. Be ready for battle morphs. Rachel, once we're clear you're on guard duty."

"Let's do it!" Rachel replied. She was practically vibrating with energy. I desperately hoped she wouldn't need to use it. A battle right now meant the Yeerks were on to us. And if the Yeerks were on to us, the Earth was probably doomed.

Alloran left the Blade Ship and stormed around the hangar bay, bellowing at the Hork Bajir technicians who were responsible for running the place.

<Prince Jake, I believe we are still undetected.> Alloran told me privately.

He blustered some more, then shouted for Tom. He sounded so much like the Visser I couldn't help but get chills.

<You!> he bellowed at Rachel, who was standing guard in Hork Bajir morph, <Kill anyone who gets near my ship!>

<The rest of you! No one comes in here! I will not have this facility compromised by those blasted Andalites!> With that, Alloran and Tom headed into the Yeerk Pool.

Ax and Marco moved out in Hork Bajir morph, and began installing their virus on the Bug Fighter computers. The rest of us stayed on the Blade Ship. It was nerve wracking, not having anything to do.

"Tobias, why don't you go sit at the weapons station," Cassie suggested. "I'm sure Loren could use the company. I don't suggest explaining who you are quite yet, though. She's had a hard day."

"Good idea. I think I'd better wander down to engineering and chat with the crew." I held my hand out to Cassie. "Shall we?"

I won't bore you with the details of the virus, although it was rather clever. Our little bug would wait a set time period, and then rename all of the command codes that we specified. The computer would therefore be unable to find those codes. It was also designed to duplicate itself, like all viruses, so if it did come in contact with other computers of yeerk design, it would do the same thing. But I digress.

Simply put, it meant every bug fighter in the hangar would be without both shields and dracon beams during the upcoming battle. Yet all systems would test normally in the meantime.

Ax and I morphed Hork Bajir and marched boldly from the Blade Ship to the first bug fighter. No one even thought to stop us. And why would they? How crazy would the Andalite bandits have to be to stow away on the Visser's own Blade Ship?

Every guard in the place was watching the entrances fiercely, to the exclusion of all else. That left only a few Hork Bajir technicians in addition to Toby's people. Our trouble, therefore, came not from suspicious Yeerks, but from the bug fighter computers themselves.

The first three were a snap. We spent no more than five minutes each on those fighters. The fourth computer stubbornly refused to read our code. We had to alter the program to get it to work.

<Ax, why don't we try adjusting the second subroutine so that it...> I suggested.

<I believe that might do the trick> Ax replied.

<It's too bad we can't get it to display a skull and crossbones, like in the movie,> I commented.

<I do not see what purpose that would serve> Ax answered.

<Humor, Ax-man, humor> I explained.

<Ah, yes. I understand. That would be quite amusing, if any Yeerks would actually see it. Which they will not.> Ax answered.

<I certainly hope not.> I agreed nervously. <Is it working yet?>

<We have achieved success. It has identified the codes.> Ax informed after a long pause.

We moved on. Fortunately, only that one bug fighter seemed to have a different set of command codes. We soon had hidden our virus on more than two dozen bug fighters. Any fighters that took to the air following the destruction of the first strike team would meet the same fate. They would be defenseless against our air force.

"Halt!" the "Hork Bajir" guarding the Blade Ship demanded.

<Chill, Rachel. It's us,> I answered in thoughtspeak. Out loud, I uttered some of the hybrid speech of the average Hork Bajir Controller.

<Prove it,> she teased.

<Stuff it, Xena. If you can't tell by the thoughtspeak I don't know what else to tell you> I answered. <I suppose we could display Ax's tremendous ability to eat a Cinnabon.>

She let us pass. Humor is a powerful weapon.

"Loren? I'm Tobias. Jake sent me up to man the weapons station." I explained.

"Hi," she replied. "Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?"

"Not at all," I answered. "What do you need to know?"

"I've missed a few years. Alloran has filled me in a bit, but if I need to talk to anyone I'm a little shaky on current events."

"Well, what's the last thing you remember?"

She thought for a while. "Ronald Reagan was President..."

We spent some time rehashing the last two decades.

"Bill Gates? Really?" Loren looked shocked.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Elfangor knew him, that's all." She laughed. "I wouldn't have guessed that one."

"So you knew Elfangor?" I asked, knowing the answer but wishing for details.

"I was married to him. At least, I have memories of being married to him. The Ellimist tampered with the timeline, although I'm not sure exactly what was changed, yet. Did you know him?"

"The Ellimist, or Elfangor?"

"Both, I guess."

"I have had a few dealings with the Ellimist. Elfangor..." I struggled to keep the emotion from my voice. "Elfangor I met only once, four years ago."

"I'm sorry. I take it that is not a pleasant memory?"

"I was with him when he died."

"The Visser killed him, didn't he?" she said bitterly.

"Yes, it was the Visser," I admitted. "How did you know?"

"I guessed. Alloran would not speak of it..." she whispered. "I knew then."

For the first time I thought of how horrible Elfangor's death must have been for Alloran. I shuddered, but I decided Loren deserved to hear the story. If I found myself in a reality where Rachel had died...Well, I would want to know.

"Elfangor's fighter crashed in a construction site near the mall. The five of us were walking home together. We investigated. We found Elfangor fatally wounded.