Author's Notes:

I had hoped to have this posted earlier in the month, but I have been pretty busy with work and other life stuff, so I got a bit delayed. No worries though, because I am here now! I hope to have the rest of the book finished over the next couple of weeks or so. I hope everyone who has read and enjoyed Book 55 will continue to read and review!

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything related to the Animorphs. I am simply borrowing the characters for fun. On with the story!

ANIMORPHS

Book 56: The Allegiance
Narrator: Jake
Cover Morph: Jake to Mountain Goat
Tagline: "Communication is the key…"

Chapter One

My name is Jake.

Six months ago I went on a dangerous mission to rescue Prince Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill after he went missing during a search for the infamous Blade ship that managed to escape following the end of the Yeerk invasion of Earth. I managed to convince Marco and Tobias to come with me, and took two willing recruits from the United States Army with me.

We were guided by Ax's former Tactical Officer, Menderash-Posthill-Fastill, an Andalite who became a nothlit to take us into Kelbrid space without breaking his people's laws. A technicality.

A loophole. One that got him killed.

That happens with me a lot. People who work with me end up dead. Either because of the choices I make or the parts I make them play.

We thought Ax had become the victim of a horrible being that called itself The One. But in reality, it was all an illusion. A trap. The One was responsible for Ax going missing, yes, but Ax was not the true host of this terrifying evil thing. It had been using the mysterious Kelbrid, a race of warrior aliens with the bizarre ability to create illusions with their mind.

The One had tricked everyone into thinking Rachel died in the final battle for Earth, but in reality, it had used its Yeerk minions to get Rachel's body to him to use as a host body. You see, The One is a Yeerk too. The first Yeerk, according to him. We still aren't sure how that's even possible. Yeerks tend to have about the same lifespan as a human being.

Yet somehow The One is still alive.

We're sure that Crayak, a great and terrible omnipotent being that relishes in darkness and chaos, is involved somehow. We just don't know how or why.

Who are we?

That is a story you should be familiar with. Five kids walk home through a dark, half-finished business district and come across a dying alien that grants them with the power to morph into any animal they touch, by absorbing that animal's DNA. Ringing any bells? The story of the Animorphs has become the stuff of legend all over the world. After the Yeerk invasion became public and we had to take the fight out into the open, the government became involved, and from there, everything just took off.

There's me, my best friend Marco, our friend Tobias who used to be a lonely kid with no real family to speak of, but now lives as a red-tailed hawk and Cassie, the girl I had a crush on all through high school. We have a very confusing and complicated relationship. I'm still not even sure where we stand.

Ever since Cassie and her team of recruits rescued us from The One's clutches, we've been recovering at an underground government operation known as the Department of Interstellar Operations and Defense of Earth, or DIODE. It is a covert department that even the CIA doesn't know exist. Apparently there is constant communication with the President and not much else. They are totally off the grid. Cassie tells me they are good people but I'm not sure I trust them yet.

She spent nearly two weeks sitting by my side, making sure I was okay. It took me twelve days to even get up the strength to sit up. I was just now getting my legs back and walk around the sick bay a little bit now and then. Marco recovered faster, whether it was from sheer will or the fact that he has a intense fear of hospitals and doctors and couldn't wait to get out of there, I still don't know.

Tobias still wasn't speaking much. He had taken Rachel's "death" the hardest, going into seclusion and living entirely as a hawk, leaving behind his human life completely. With Cassie's help, I had managed to convince him to come with me to rescue Ax. He only did it because Ax is technically his uncle and they are shorms, which is an Andalite word that essentially means they are best friends.

Now that we all knew the truth, that Rachel really wasn't dead, but had suffered a much worse fate, Tobias was having a hard time dealing. He spent most of his time with Ax and the other Andalites at DIODE, staying quiet and sitting in the strange trees within the Andalite dome they had there.

It had been a tense couple of weeks. Not only were we all trying to absorb the shock that Rachel was a Controller, but also the fact that The One was preparing another invasion of Earth. Something we had all decided to keep a secret, even from DIODE. Cassie swears that her friend Agent Weathers won't sell us out.

Not only that, but there was the small issue that, according to the Andalites, Marco, Tobias, Ax and myself were considered war criminals for violating the treaty with the Kelbrid by entering their quadrant of space. We were waiting for them to call us before a committee to determine our fate.

So it was no surprise when Marco entered the sick bay with a harried look on his face. I knew instantly what he was here to tell us.

"It's time," he said.

I looked over at Cassie, who had been adjusting one of my pillows as I attempted to change positions on my hospital bed.

"They said we could wait until you were all better," Cassie countered.

Marco simply shrugged, looking like he'd already been sentenced. This was one situation where Marco's endless millions he'd made on book deals and television shows and ad endorsements couldn't help him. We were dealing with the Andalite government now. We'd have to answer for our actions.

"It's okay," I assured Cassie, managing a weak smile. "I'm ready."

It's funny. I've been in so many battles, I've lost count of them all. I've looked death straight in the eye more times than the most hardened soldier and come out of it alive and relatively intact on the other side.

But I had to admit.

I had never been this scared before in my entire life.

Chapter Two

We had been gathered in a conference room, of all places, to go before the Andalite Electorate and hear their verdict. It was so strange sitting in such a banal office and be speaking to alien government officials via Z-space communication.

Three older looking Andalites stood before us, projected on a screen at the front of the room. I was seated at a long table along with Marco and Cassie. Ax stood off to the side, Tobias perched on one of his slender shoulders. Toby stood on the other side of us and the recruits Cassie had brought with her on the mission to Kelbrid space were there too. I hadn't gotten the chance to know any of them very well since we'd gotten back.

Agent Weathers and a few other DIODE agents I had never spoken with before also occupied the room. Whether it was to keep us in or escort us elsewhere after the hearing remained to be seen.

I stared up at the screen with growing trepidation. I half expected, despite Ax's ranking within the Andalite army as well as our notoriety as the Animorphs, that we would immediately be sentenced as war criminals and deported to some horrific Andalite prison light years from home.

And so it was with shock and surprise that we weren't met with shackles and police escorts.

"Congratulations," the center Andalite said, his thought-speak being transmitted through the Z-space transponder and made audible. "It is with full hearts that we welcome Prince Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill back into our fold. We are happy to have you safely returned."

Ax bowed his head in reverence.

I glanced back and forth between Marco and Cassie.

"That's it?" I asked. I almost felt disappointed. I hadn't expected things to go so…pleasantly.

The center Andalite turned all four of his eyes towards me.

I immediately regretted speaking up.

"What exactly were you hoping for, Jake the Yeerk Killer?" the Andalite asked, using the nickname I have acquired ever since the final battle against Visser Three's invading army. "A parade? We appreciate the fact that you were able to find and rescue Prince Aximili. Since you are humans, we took the liberty of being discreet about the details. You may have broken Andalite law, but seeing as you are not Andalites, technically no laws were broken.

"The ship you took was of Yeerk design and under the protection and supervision of the people of Earth. They will decide your punishment for that misdeed. But as far as we are concerned, you are absolved of all involvement in this matter for returning Prince Aximili to Earth safely."

"Thank you," Cassie spoke up, after shooting me a warning glance. "We appreciate your understanding."

With a brief nod, the Andalites ended their transmission and the screen went blank. Everybody sat in silence for a few moments, taking it all in. I was still in shock, considering I had been completely prepared to have to figure out how to escape an Andalite armada coming to capture me and take me prisoner.

"The big blue guy mentioned a punishment," Marco chimed in, raising an eyebrow. He gestured to the DIODE agents. "He was just following protocol right? We're cool, right? No harm, no foul."

Agent Weathers nodded.

"I will handle things on this end," he assured him. He glanced meaningfully at Cassie. I felt a slight pang of jealousy course through me. Did this guy have a crush on her or something? Last I knew, Cassie was dating a really nice guy named Ronnie. She hadn't been very forthcoming about any details on their relationship, but I assumed they were still together. "It's the least I can do for the girl who saved my life."

"I hardly saved your life," Cassie said, blushing. She was blushing!

"I'll leave you all alone," Weathers said, motioning to his fellow agents who stood at stoic attention, awaiting orders. "I'm sure you all have a lot of catching up to do."

"Wish I could stay and be part of the family reunion," the beefy, frat-boy type guy bellowed, clapping his hands together. Cooper, I believe was his name. "But I've got a Netflix queue like you wouldn't believe waiting for me."

"It was so nice meeting you all," the meek-looking guy with glasses, Justin, said. He seemed to be in awe of our presence. Marco had even offered to give him an autograph. He'd recuperated quickly into being his old self.

The other recruit, Oliver, exchanged a long look with Cassie before quietly following along the other two, exiting the meeting room.

"Wow, Cassie, you're like a guy magnet all of a sudden," Marco observed quite astutely. He was always the first one to notice patterns and trends and the most likely to be a loudmouth about it.

"It's nothing," Cassie said, laughing. "We just bonded, that's all. You always remember your first mission, right?"

"That's true," Marco conceded, nodding. He waved a hand towards Tobias and Ax excitedly. "So, guys, we aren't wanted criminals! What should we do next? I vote Disney World!"

(I think it would be wise for us to devise our next step in the fight against The One,) Ax replied, all business as usual. (He said he was planning a second invasion of Earth. We need to figure out where their base of operations will be.)

"I agree with Ax," Toby voted.

(Whatever it takes to get Rachel back,) Tobias said quietly. He'd barely spoken to me or any of the other Animorphs ever since we'd gotten back to Earth. I made a mental note to get him alone at some point to get some perspective from him.

"I never thought I would be in this position again," Cassie said, her arms hanging limply at her sides, "but I think they're right. We need to take the fight to them, first. Maybe we could stop The One before the invasion even begins."

"Woah, woah, woah," Marco said, waving his arms around wildly. "Think about this for a second! We aren't idiot kids with a death wish anymore! We've grown up."

(Some of us have,) Tobias said pointedly.

"My point is," Marco continued, glancing dourly at Tobias, "that we have options now. We don't have to be the heroes anymore. We could just tell these DIODE dudes all about The One's plans and let them handle it. They could bring the Andalites in, let them do their thing, and voila, crisis averted."

I thought about what he was saying. Parts of it made perfect sense. We had resources now. Why not use them? We didn't have to fight this battle all alone. But what if the invasion had indeed already started? How did we know who we could truly trust? What if the people around us were already Controllers? I shared those concerns to the group.

"It is too much of a risk," Toby said. "We have too much at stake."

(I agree,) Ax said, his stalk eyes bobbing up and down.

"Well I thought I'd at least mention it," Marco said, sounding defeated.

(No one is forcing you to fight, Marco,) Tobias said defensively. (You wanted to cut and run back in the beginning too, remember? Well, this is your chance. Do you still want to run?)

Marco's jaw tightened. He looked as if he might actually punch Tobias. Which, for a hawk, would be pretty painful. He restrained his emotions, however.

"I have as much a reason to fight as the rest of you," Marco replied. He managed to force out a chuckle. "Besides, I'm not going to leave you guys to have all the fun."

"So then it's settled," I said. "We make a plan."

"Point the way, fearless leader," Marco cracked with a lopsided grin.

Chapter Three

We decided to take the rest of the day off to regroup and collect our thoughts. And I wanted to give Tobias and Marco time to cool off. I couldn't have the two of them fighting each other if we were going to potentially go into a life or death situation together soon. Everyone went their separate ways.

I found Cassie sitting in her private quarters, lounging on a chair reading a book. She looked so peaceful.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," I said, knocking on the door frame.

She looked up, smiling.

"I'm still getting used to seeing you up and around," she said, getting up. She came over and gave me a hug. I was hesitant at first. It was so strange being back here with her, like this. I had never expected things to turn out like this. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Our lives have always been strange.

"What was that for?" I asked, after we pulled apart.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Cassie replied. "I have to remind myself every now and then that you're really, actually here and not just some crazy delusion I came up with in my mind."

"I'm here," I whispered.

"I'm so glad, Jake," she said. "I really missed you. Every single day…I thought about you so much, that I had to force myself not to. I just…I couldn't get through the days if I let it take over. So I had to push it all aside."

"I understand," I said, nodding. "I'm sure Ronnie was supportive."

Cassie's eyes clouded over with emotion. She looked away. I thought I saw a tear begin to form, but she quickly brushed her cheek and all evidence of any wetness was erased from her perfect cheeks.

"Ronnie is…," she choked out. "He…he's gone."

"Oh," I said flatly.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Cassie said, shaking her head. "It just wasn't meant to be, I guess. He forced me to make a choice. And…I did. So here I am."

"I'm happy you're here," I told her honestly.

"Me too."

I decided to let Cassie enjoy the rest of her quiet time alone and left her to continue reading her book. I felt a bit guilty for prying about Ronnie, but in some strange way I felt relieved that things had ended between the two of them. It's not that I expected anything to start up between the two of us, but it was sort of nice in a weird way to know that the option could be there.

I headed outside the main building of DIODE's headquarters and found myself in a large, open field. I saw Tobias perched up on a wooden post out in the middle of the field, probably looking for a plump mouse to eat for dinner. I made my way through the ankle-high grass, feeling it swish against my legs.

I stopped about ten feet away, looking out over the field.

"It got pretty heated back there," I said, trying to sound neutral.

(He says he has as much to fight for as the rest of us,) Tobias said without preamble. (But it's Rachel, Jake. It's Rachel. My…)

"I know," I said softly. I knew he could still hear me. Hawks have excellent hearing. "I feel the same way. Ever since the day I sent her onto the Blade ship, I've regretted it. But she was the one. You know? She was the only one who…"

(Who would kill for you,) Tobias finished my sentence.

I had no response.

(I would do anything you asked me to, Jake,) Tobias said, sounding almost casual. (You know that. You know I wouldn't have followed along with you on that crazy mission to find Ax if I wouldn't follow your every order. But this time's different. This isn't just about the Animorphs. This is about one thing and one thing only. We have to save Rachel.)

"We all have our reasons for fighting," I told him.

Tobias turned to face me, his hawk's eyes seemingly gazing right through me. They say looks can kill. A bird of prey's eyes look sharp enough to slice through flesh. I swear he could see straight down into my soul.

(What's your reason, Jake?)

I had to think about that question. I thought really hard. There were so many answers I could give him. I could tell him what he wanted to hear. I could tell him what I thought he would think I would say. Or I could just be honest.

"I fight for you," I said. "For all of you. The Animorphs, Ax, our families. We all went through hell together. Nothing could ever match that. No one could ever feel that bond like we do. I fight for all of you."

(Is that going to be enough?) Tobias asked.

I took a deep breath.

"It's going to have to be."

Tobias turned his gaze back to the open field before us. I imagine he was busying himself with watching all of the tiny creatures moving around out there in the grass all around us. A marching army of ants, bringing food to their queen. A slithering garden snake heading from one place to another. A tiny, helpless rodent scurrying back to its home to seek shelter from predators.

I had been every single one of those creatures.

It's funny, because as a human we see ourselves as being at the top of the food chain. On our planet, we are. But the truth, the truth that the entire world knows about now, is that we are far from the top of the galaxy's food chain.

But us homo sapiens have one thing on our side.

We have hope. And we have the will to survive and protect our loved ones until the bitter end.

"It will be enough," I whispered almost to myself.

I knew Tobias heard me.

Like I said, hawks have excellent hearing.

Chapter Four

After a fitful night's sleep plagued with visions of The One's torture during the months held captive aboard the Blade ship, I awoke to sunlight peeking through the tiny window in my sleeping quarters I had been assigned since leaving the sick bay. I turned over in my bed and saw that it was almost seven o'clock.

I found Marco and Cassie in the kitchen of the living area we all shared, making breakfast. I entered the kitchen and my stomach instantly began to rumble. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days.

"Please tell me you made enough for me," I said, practically salivating. Cassie shoved a plateful of eggs, bacon and toast at me and I barely let myself sit down at the table before I started digging in.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Marco asked. "Besides going on some insane mission that could possibly get us killed. Ah, good times. Really takes me back to our childhood, you know?"

"We have to wait for the others," Cassie said.

"Like Bird Boy is going to have anything to add to the meeting," Marco scoffed. "Besides, Ax-Man and Toby are just going to go along with whatever we say. We might as well decide what we're going to do."

"That's not how this team works," I said firmly. "We're not about to start changing things now."

"Dude, everything's already changed," Marco said, unnaturally darkly. I exchanged a glance with Cassie. She quietly sipped her coffee and chose not to comment on Marco's assessment of the situation.

"I had a talk with Tobias yesterday," I told them. Marco barely glanced up from his breakfast. I assumed he was still a bit sore about Tobias's jab at him yesterday. I couldn't say I blamed him, in a way, but I was the leader of this team, whether I wanted to be or not. That meant it was my job to keep everybody working together as a cohesive unit. We couldn't be fighting against each other. "We all know how he feels about Rachel. He's going to need to work all of this out in his own way."

"We understand," Cassie said meaningfully. She glanced at Marco, nudging him with the dull end of her fork. "Right, Marco?"

Marco begrudgingly nodded.

"I get it," he mumbled into his glass of orange juice.

Ten minutes later, we met up with Ax, Toby and Tobias in the Andalite Dome. Ax and Toby were talking to some of the other Andalites and Tobias sat silently in one of the strange Andalite trees nearby. Once the Andalites saw the three of us approaching, they scattered to other parts of the Dome, leaving the six of us alone.

"I guess we still aren't so popular with the Andalites," Marco chirped.

"We did just get away with breaking one of their laws," I reminded him. We formed a semi-circle under the tree Tobias was perched upon.

"They already don't like me," Cassie said, shrugging. "They think I'm a deserter for not going along with you guys to find Ax."

(I heard about that,) Ax told her. (I have been telling the Andalites stationed here that they have grossly misjudged your character, Cassie.)

"I appreciate that, Ax," Cassie said, smiling genuinely.

(What are we going to do about The One?) Tobias asked, getting to business.

"I guess we're done with the chit-chat portion of the meeting," Marco said dryly. I shot him a warning glance. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and began closely examining a piece of dirt on his shoe.

"We need to figure out how The One is communicating his orders from Kelbrid space to Earth," I said. "We already figure he's got some Yeerks here on Earth. There's no way he hasn't placed spies in key locations."

(That would make the most sense tactically,) Ax agreed.

"We could use the resources here," Toby suggested.

"Too risky," Marco interjected.

"I told you, we can trust DIODE," Cassie said, exasperated.

"Just because secret agent man has a crush on you, doesn't mean we can trust them," Marco shot back. Cassie looked away, her cheeks darkening.

(I have to agree with Marco,) Ax said. (We can't be sure that any of these humans aren't double agents working for The One.)

"If The One knew we were here, we'd already be dead," Cassie said.

(Not necessarily,) Tobias countered. (Think about it. It would be the perfect setup. If some of the agents here were infested with The One's Yeerks, they could keep tabs on us, watch what we do. All they have to do is report back to The One and we lose the element of surprise.)

"So we should leave here immediately," Toby surmised.

"Maybe," Marco said, nodding. "We could hide out at my mansion. I've got a movie theatre there. We could make popcorn."

(Could you please be serious?) Tobias said icily.

"I'm always serious about popcorn," Marco said with a wry grin.

"I think Toby might be onto something," I said, ignoring Marco and Tobias. "We can't operate here under DIODE's thumb, whether they're Yeerks or not. We can't risk word of the new invasion getting out. The minute the government gets wind of another Yeerk invasion, we're done."

"I think you're making a rash decision," Cassie said, shaking her head.

(We can always come back if we find out it's safe,) Tobias reasoned. Cassie stayed quiet, keeping any further thoughts to herself. I could tell she wasn't happy about the prospect of leaving DIODE behind. She'd begun to make friends with Agent Weathers and some of the other staff members.

"How do we leave without raising suspicion?" Toby asked. "They will want to know where we're going if we suddenly all decide to leave."

We all stood in silence for a few moments. And then it hit me.

"I think I might have an idea for that," I said.

Chapter Five

A few hours later, after morphing, demorphing, then remorphing again to peregrine falcon, I found myself lazily circling a small park a few miles outside our hometown. I caught a thermal and soared hundreds of feet even higher, taking in the entire view below with pristine vision.

Sitting on a park bench was a boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. He looked exactly the same as he always had. I was a bit surprised that he had actually shown up. Ax was able to hack into DIODE's communications systems and send out a message without them knowing about it.

I had half expected him not to come. We hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms.

(Hi, Erek,) I called down to the Chee.

I saw Erek King, or rather, the form he projected around his canine-shaped robotic body, look up into the clouds, holding a hand over his eyes like a visor as if to protect his eyes against the sun. The Chee have been posing as human beings since the pyramids were being built, and have become very good at what they do.

The Chee are an ancient race of sentient robots created by the peaceful Pemalites as companions to play with. They were programmed as a completely non-violent species, incapable of causing any sort of harm to anyone or anything. The Pemalites were wiped out by Howlers, leaving the Chee to fend for themselves. They ended up on Earth, where they formed an underground society.

Throughout the initial Yeerk invasion of Earth, Erek and the Chee had proved to be useful allies on multiple occasions. Now, I was hoping they would come through for us one more time.

I swooped down lower, tilting my wings ever so slightly, allowing my body to dip through the air. I picked up speed, slicing through the air around me. The peregrine falcon can fly almost a hundred miles per hour when they're in a full-on dive. I wasn't using the full speed available to me.

I made a somewhat rickety landing next to the park bench Erek was sitting on. I've got quite a bit of practice flying, but I'm nowhere near the expert Tobias is. My falcon eyes could see the shimmering screen of the hologram Erek was projecting. I could just make out the outline of his natural Chee form. I saw the shimmering spread further out and suddenly Erek's real self was in full view.

"You can demorph," he said. "No one can see us. They just see a boy sitting on a bench."

I quickly complied, returning to my own human body. Feathers melted back into skin and talons returned to soft, mushy human flesh. I rose taller and taller, shedding the bird of prey's body and reclaiming my own. Within twenty or thirty seconds I was completely back to normal.

"Hello Jake," Erek said neutrally.

"It's good to see you, Erek," I told him.

"I assume you wanted to meet me to ask a favor," Erek said, all business. It was strange to see him so stoic and sharp. Erek had always been a friendly, affable guy, especially for a robot. But I had used him in the final battle against Visser Three's army, overriding his peaceful programming to help me to kill 17,000 Yeerks in one fatal blow. He greatly resented me for this fact. But I did what I had to do.

"I know I have no right to ask," I said awkwardly.

"And yet, here we are," Erek replied succinctly.

"I hope you know that I think of you as a friend," I told the Chee. His glass and marble eyes stared back at me impassively. The cold steel and ivory of his mechanical body glistened beneath the sunlight. "I feel terrible for what I forced you to do that day. I have never once forgotten about it."

"I should hope not," Erek said simply.

I cleared my throat.

"Something is happening," I told him. "We aren't fully sure what yet, but it doesn't look good."

"Yeerks?" Erek asked.

"What have you heard?" I asked, perking up.

"There have been rumors," Erek confirmed, nodding slightly. "Several of my people still keep their ear to the ground, keeping tabs on any unusual alien activity. Most of their time has been spent keeping an eye on Andalites eating too much food. But lately, there have been whispers. People are being infested. Prominent figures, mostly. Political figures. That sort of thing. Someone is planning something huge."

"Then it really has started," I murmured.

"What?" Erek asked.

"There's another invasion coming," I told him grimly. "From the sounds of it, it's already here."

"What do you need from us?" Erek asked. "Earth has been a good home for us Chee. I would do anything to protect it from harm."

"That's what I was hoping you would say," I replied with a smile.

"It doesn't erase our past, Jake," Erek said in a warning tone.

"I understand," I said solemnly. "We need six of your men. We've found ourselves in a bit of tricky situation. One we can't exactly get out of without people noticing. We need to keep up appearances."

"Six?" Erek asked, raising an eyebrow. "But I thought that…"

"We have a new member," I told him. "You remember Toby?"

"Ah, the Hork-Bajir Seer," Erek said, nodding. "We can do that for you. Like I said, any of us would do whatever it takes to help keep Earth safe. As long as it doesn't interfere with our non-violent programming."

There seemed to be an air of a threat laced over those last words. I did not take it lightly. I knew I was asking something huge of Erek to come to my aide, especially considering our strained relationship. But, ultimately, I knew just as well as he did, that he wouldn't be able to resist helping. Chee, by nature, are very giving and nurturing creatures.

"Thank you, Erek," I said as genuinely as possible. "I'll have Ax send your people the coordinates. Once you get the signal, it will be time for you to be there to take our places."

Erek nodded and I began to morph back into peregrine falcon. Within moments, I had wings once again. I took flight, leaving behind the hologram of a lonely little boy sitting all alone on a park bench.

I pushed forward through the clouds, unsure of what the future would bring.