"WHAT??!!"she screamed,snapping awake.
"Chill,please.It's me.Marco.
"Marco,if you do that to me again your name is going to be something in chinese I can't pronounce."
He grinned."And I thought you had a hot temper before Elf-"
I snapped him a look."There are security cameras in this house,Marco,that I haven't disabled.After we walked through the site,met Al,and got those powers,I've been grumpier.I know.But I sleep less."
"What I don't see is why Jake cuts you out of all the things written and such about us.It's like he wishes you didn't exist."
"He does,"she answered,disabling the security.
"What?"
"He wishes I didn't exist.Think about it.Jake is supreme leader,so to speak.He rules and runs the whole thing.And from square one,his position has been threatened.By me. I'm too..too daring.He hasn't been the leader since Elfangor's ship,he's been fighting for the position."
Marco nodded,'accepting the inevitable'.Amber walked into the kitchen and heated some pea soup.
"Soup out of peas?"Marco asked incredulously."Whoever heard of that?"
"Yankees,"Amber muttered,sitting on the couch and chowing. "Damned Yankees,"Marco muttered,getting a bowl himself. It was warm,and outside it was freezing.
"Yeah,aren't they though?"Amber asked,her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"Sorry,"Marco said quietly,finishing his soup."There's a meeting tonight at midnight,usual spot,and I know firsthand it's about you."
"Jake's finally comin' to cal',eh?I knew he'd get sick of competition."
"You're out,you're out.You're in,you're in,"Marco said. "Either way Jake can't stop you.You've done nothing wrong,and I know you'll be slain before you stop fighting."
She laughed."Got that right."
"So use that brain of yours.You make a fine lawyer/ debater.Let's see you whoop Jake like you did in debating class."
"You can do all these...things...that no one else can," Jake said by way of argument.Half snarling/half explaining. "You've got to be hiding something,how you do it."
"Do you think I wouldn't tell you?"Amber asked."Do you think if I knew where these morphs came from,if I knew how I morph so quickly,how I stay in morph so long and demorph, I wouldn't tell you?I would.Cassie can do the same things I do.You don't chide her."
"Cassie,isn't a danger to us.You are."
"Yes,sir.Whatever's best for you,Mr. Hitler Jr.,sir."
"What?"he asked menancingly."What did you say?"
"I said,"she stated,staring him in the face."Mr. Hitler Jr."
Jake swung his fist at her face.She ducked,grabbed his ankle,and yanked,throwing him to the ground.She raised herself on top of him,penknife in a position to stab,and raised herself up,putting her penknife on the rafter.Tobias scooted over so he sat on it.
"What happened to the good of the group,Jake?"she asked, breathing lightly."Or are you so blind as to not care anymore?"
"I will not...be...made a fool of,"he said,standing slowly.
"That wasn't her making a fool of you,Jake,that was her stating the truth,"Rachel said,standing beside Amber.
"You're getting out of control,"Marco said,walking over.
< You're going a little too far, >Tobias stated.
"Cassie?"Jake asked."Me or them?"
Cassie sat on the bale of hay,thinking.
< I follow my prince, >Ax said,trtting over to Jake.
"Cassie?"Jake asked.It sounded like an order.
Cassie stood up,slowly and delibrately.
"Them,"she whispered."Sorry."She walked over, straightened her shoulders,and was careful not to look at Jake.
"You can't fight the Yeerks without me and Ax,"Jake laughed.
"You can't fight the Yeerks without us,"Marco pointed out.
Jake started looking edgy.
< Aristh Aximili,you will get over here this very nanosecond!!! >a reverberating voice commanded.It was as sharp as a knife.
Ax's head jerked up,his stalk eyes and tail lowered,and he trotted over tothe speaker.Jake supressed a shudder. It was an Andalite with a long tail,almost male sized, but there was a feminine grace to her.Her eyes,instead of green,were a cool,calculating grey,and her fur was as dark a blue as there was.Amber looked up at her,and the two seemed like the same person.
"Fighting Yeerks alone,Jake?"Amber taunted,eyes flashing. Jake stuttered,hate filling his heart and fear knawing his guts.Cassie was sobbing,and Marco looked grim.
"I'll settle under your leadership,for the time being," he sighed,accepting he did need a break.
They had planned a mission for the next morning.Amber canceled that immediately.The new Andalite was a female, War Prince Easha-Disnial-Conate,who had crashed in a recent space battle.As last time,the entire fleet was destroyed.When they started calling her by rank,she insisted that it didn't matter anymore.Ax had obvious fear and awe for the Andalite and admitted it freely. Several months passed,and all went well.Except Jake wanted his position back.
"I mean it,guys,it's not funny anymore,"he said,smiling.No one even looked sympathetic.
"Sorry,"Amber said."Job's taken."
He snarled."If you don't step down,I'll kill you."
"Like you did last time?"Amber asked.
Suddenly,a strong pair of arms wrapped around Amber,getting her in a deathlock.
"Oh.Shit,"she muttered.Jake grinned.
"Yep,David.Rach,you need to do a more thorough job next time."
"You know what?"Amber asked."Next time is now!"
And with that,she stood up,putting David's weight on her back.Then she flipped him over,wrenching her wrists in a way that broke his grip.David was sprawled on the ground, and Amber,in hiking boots,stomped on his nose.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!"he screamed.Blood was running out of his face.
Jake had morphed a falcon and was trying to fly away until Rachel dived and wrestled him into a cage.Marco was morphing a wolf as fast as he could,Cassie was trying to keep Jake in his cage,Tobias had flown out to get Ax and Eash.Marco,finished morphing,was guarding David.Amber was digging through a hay bale until she found what she was looking for-a dracon beam.
< Cassie! >Jake cried.< Help!It's me! >
"No,it's not you,"Cassie whispered.It's someone else."
Easha and Ax galloped into the barn full pelt.If Easha had lips,they would be in the most hateful pose ever invented.
"Get out,"Amber said,motioning at Jake."Cockroach."
Jake flapped out of the cage,and demorphed.
"Cock.Roach,"Amber snarled.Jake glared at her and started morphing.
David and Jake both got to be bird chow in Cassie's barn,two hours later.