{Is this guy for real?} Tobias asked in private thought speak.

I shrugged. We were in a spaceship that was bigger on the inside, and our resident alien Ax had been in state of shocked silence since we walked through the door. Things had gotten a little out of our area of expertise at this point. The Doctor, the man or alien or whatever, had cheerfully welcomed us into his ship. Now he smiled and looked at us like a teacher turning to his class.

"Right, any questions so far?"

Earlier…

My name is Jake. And it had been a really, really long week. Like most kids my age, I didn't really like when the stomach flu had me puking my guts out all night. Unlike most kids my age, I had to do that while leading the human race's only resistance against an alien invasion.

Yeah. It sounds weird to me too.

I don't like being the leader. I wouldn't have chosen it, not for all the money or video games in the world. I guess Cassie would say that's what makes me a good leader. And Marco would tell me that I should have held out for supermodels…

The thing is, someone had to do it. Step up and keep my friends, the Animorphs, alive. We were trying to keep humanity safe from the Yeerks. They looked like giant slugs, but they were actually a race of alien parasites. They crawl in your ear and then your brain. Once inside, they control you completely. A Yeerk knows every thought, every secret that its host has ever had. And they use that knowledge to stay hidden in plain sight. They force their hosts to do horrible things- betray their friends and family. The entire human race. We called the people they infested Controllers. It was almost impossible to tell who might be one of them. It could be your best friend. Your babysitter. The little old lady who lived across the street and had too many cats.

My brother Tom was one of them.

We don't trust anyone. We can't. Not since the night we cut through an abandoned construction on the way home from the mall. We watched as a doomed Andalite Prince named Elfangor crash-landed his ship.

The Andalites were another species of alien. They fought against the Yeerks, all over the galaxy, trying to stop them. Elfangor died- was murdered by Visser Three. Before that he gave us the only thing he had that might help us fight back. Using the blue box we call 'the morphing cube', he gave us the ability to morph. We could turn into any animal, so long as we touched them to acquire their DNA first. With its power, we had managed to survive this long. And one day, hopefully, the Andalite fleet would return to defeat the Yeerks.

But until then, we had to fight. And that meant someone had to make the hard decisions. The kind of decisions that could end up getting one or more of us killed. Or infested and turned into Controllers. Or stuck in a morph, like Tobias. He was a red-tail hawk now, permanently. There were hundreds of horrible, painful ways we could fail. Somehow, it became my job to decide which ones we would risk as we struggled to save the Earth.

But it never occurred to me that getting the flu might get us killed.

So when Cassie called and told me that everyone was safe, I tried really hard not to notice the worried tone in her voice. I wanted to feel relieved- I just managed to eat solid food for the first time in two days. All had gone according to plan, or as much to plan as anything ever does. Maybe it was just what was left of my fever. Maybe I imagined her voice cracking just a bit when she told me that Erek even helped. She couldn't be too specific, since we didn't know who might be listening on the phone. But it sounded like Erek even figured out a way to keep Aftran alive outside the Yeerk Pool.

But then Cassie said that we needed to have a meeting when everyone was feeling better. During the mission she had learned something big. Maybe I imagined that she sounded nervous. But thing is, when you're an Animorph, you learn one thing really quickly-

Something big was never something good.

It took another day for us all to recover from being sick. Tobias was still feeling a little under the weather. I wasn't sure if that was because he got sick last or if it was because he was a red-tailed hawk. Either way, he had apparently warned Cassie, quite vividly, what would happen to her vet parents if they ever tried to stick a pill up... Well, Cassie said he was quite descriptive.

We met in Cassie's family's barn, known as The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Her parents worked at The Gardens, a local zoo-slash-amusement-park. But in their spare time, they also took care of injured local wildlife. Skunks that had been hit by cars, wolves that ate something poisonous, etc. Cassie helped them out as much as she could. I thought it was amazing, how much she knew about animals. Cassie probably learned how to medicate a raccoon before she learned to read.

I think I've morphed every animal in the barn by now. Even the flies that were buzzing around the empty horse stalls...

Once Tobias had made sure the coast was clear, Cassie stood up. She paced in front of us, wringing her hands. "So… I know I said that everything was fine. That I managed to get Aftran out by myself. But, the thing is… that's not completely true…"

Rachel, my cousin and Cassie's best friend, smiled and leaned forward in her seat. Despite having spent just as much time bent over a toilet as I had the past few days, Rachel looked like a super-model.

"So what happened? Did Erek and the Chee have to come and provide a little back up, or what? It's no big deal," Rachel laughed. "Even I would have had a hard time doing all that by myself."

"Yeah well, you would have just stomped your way in," teased Marco.

"Right!" said Rachel, ignoring Marco's jab in favor of cheering up Cassie. "And since Yeerks haven't come knocking on any of our doors, it can't have gone that bad."

Cassie still looked down at her feet, which only made me worry more. Rachel was right. If the Yeerks had found out who we were, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. We'd be face down in the Yeerk Pool with slugs crawling into each of our ears. But still…

Tom… the Yeerk controlling Tom… well, I hadn't thought about it, because I was sick. I had just chalked it up to 'normal Yeerk' behavior. But he was more agitated than usual this morning. He had brushed my parents off and walked out the door in the middle of their questions. It hadn't bothered me at the time and my parents said he was just being a defiant teenager. Maybe I just wanted to ignore it.

{You'll feel better if you just say it, Cassie,} Tobias said.

Cassie took deep breath and nodded. "I met more aliens. They helped me save Aftran and get back in time to operate on Ax," she said. "Erek met them too. They look human but... they said their names were Rose Tyler and… the Doctor."

She inhaled, and stammered the rest out. "Their technology- it's like nothing we've seen. Nothing the Yeerks or Erek have ever seen, either. And… and they both know. Who we are. What we do. Because I told them."

30 minutes of rapid fire questioning and repeated use of the word 'insane' later, we decided that there was nothing to do but go see for ourselves. These aliens. It wasn't entirely clear if they were or not. Cassie was confident that the Doctor, at least, was not from Earth. But Rose Tyler could be from Earth in different dimension, which was weird enough. Cassie wasn't sure how to explain. Either way, we needed to meet them.

Now…

"Yeah, I've got a question," Marco said, "Why should we believe any of this? This could be a trick, a trap, whatever."

I was wondering the same thing. I wasn't sure what to expect. And then Cassie led us to a telephone box in the middle of the woods. Like the kind from the old Superman movies, only blue. It seemed impossible that it could actually be a space ship- but it was. A space ship that was much, much bigger than it appeared from the outside. It was impressive, yes. But then…

As strange as the ship was, it was nothing compared to the man called the Doctor. He was… giddy. Like a little kid. Confident, cheerful and warm. I had trouble believing he could fight anybody.

He introduced himself in a whirlwind, then nonchalantly assured us he would help defeat the Yeerks. As if it was something that he did every day. Rose Tyler was at least calm, but she was still unnerving. She had so much confidence about her. And they both had English accents…? Like James Bond meets Star Trek meets just plain weird. I wasn't sure what to make of any of it.

"Yeah, I mean, no offense," Rachel added, "I trust Cassie, and this-" She gestured around her, looking almost frustrated by the absurdness of the ship. "It's all impressive. But you don't seem like the type of person who can just show up and end an intergalactic war."

"Oh!" the Doctor objected, clearly offended. "And I suppose if I looked more like a Sontaran you'd believe me!"

"A what now?"

"It's another kind of alien," Rose explained.

{I have never heard of any species by that name, Prince Jake.} Ax was pawing nervously at the ship's metal floor. His tail twitched. He was uncomfortable with the whole thing from the beginning. Meeting the Doctor and Rose had done nothing but make him more anxious.

At least I knew Erek trusted them. He was a Chee android, a complete pacifist, programmed to be incapable of violence. But that didn't mean he or the other Chee were naïve or foolish. They spied on the Yeerks for us. Erek would have heard something if they were working for the Yeerks. According to Cassie, he had visited them here already as well.

"Prince…?" Rose began, but Rachel interrupted.

"Why are you so eager to help anyway?" Rachel crossed her arms, staring down both of them.

"It just what we do, yeah?" said Rose. She stepped forward, just a little in front of the Doctor. She was defending him from us, I realized. It would have been funny if things weren't so serious.

Now that the Doctor was standing still, I managed to actually get a good look at him. His face was so cheerful. But… Maybe I was projecting a little of myself onto him. Or maybe I was just desperate to believe all the promises he made to us were true. I don't know.

But when you've been fighting in a war this long, you know how to recognize a fellow warrior. I wasn't sure- not completely. But there was something there that made me want to know how much he understood.

"Look... I mean, it's not that we're not grateful for all you've done," I began. "But this isn't exactly a picnic. We're all the Earth has got," I turned and addressed the Doctor directly now. "The people we love- the whole human race will all be slaves to the Yeerks if we make even one mistake. We can't afford to take any risks, not with what's at stake here."

The Doctor met my eyes. And I knew- we both knew, I think, right then. Both of us saw something in the other that reminded us of ourselves. We both knew what it costs to fight in a war- and what it costs to be a leader in one.

"Well, let me show you then," he said, turning to address us all. "Anywhere you want to go, all of space, although unfortunately not time. Not presently, anyway."

Grinning, he fiddled with a small tool and tapped it on the round console in the center of the room. There more buttons and levers and dials then I had ever seen. I could hear a faint humming noise- I thought maybe it was coming from the giant, green-glowing glass tube in the center.

"Umm…" I said.

None of us knew what to say. Ax might have had a suggestion, but he had been quiet this entire time. He wasn't happy with any of this. It wasn't just nerves. Andalites were suspicious of anyone outside their species- particularly those who might steal their technology.

"You know, our knowledge of 'all of space' is pretty limited," Marco said. "And every trip we've made to another planet has ended with us running away in terror."

"Leera was actually really pretty," Cassie said, "But I'm pretty sure we shouldn't go back there again anytime soon."

"Ax? Any ideas?" I asked. Might as well get him talking sooner rather than later.

{I do not have unlimited knowledge of space, Prince Jake,} replied Ax curtly. {That would be impossible.}

"Ax, don't call me Prince."

I swore for a second the Doctor wanted to correct him, and let myself smile just a bit.

{Yes, Prince Jake. However, if this… ship's… capabilities are indeed as the Doctor claims, I believe I have a suggestion.}

"Do we finally get to see the mythical, majestic, perfect Andalite homeworld?" Marco chimed in, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Doctor and Rose looked curious, both at the suggestion and Marco's sarcasm. If Ax picked up on the tone, he didn't show it.

{No. My people are suspicious of strangers. And it's extremely… uncommon… for my home world to receive any non-Andalite visitors. Humans alone would cause an uproar amongst my people, given the current situation with Earth.} All four of Ax's eyes turned to look directly at the Doctor now. {A visitor with technology as foreign as this would likely start planet-wide panic.}

The Doctor and Rose seemed a little disappointed, but I don't think any of us were surprised. They were the good guys, but Andalites weren't always too friendly towards strangers.

"Bummer," Marco said flatly.

"So where then? I'd say the planet of shopping, but trust me-" Rachel grimaced at the memory. "It's not as awesome as it sounds."

"Pick somewhere fun, yeah?" suggested Rose, smiling, "Aliens and space aren't always about fighting a war."

{Fun would be pleasant change,} Tobias said, {What do you think Ax-man?}

{I do have a suggestion. A planet called Gaimarf Estreen Esofi.} he said. {A natural wonder, quite impressive aesthetically}.

He paused. For second, he sounded almost, well, excited, by the thought. Rachel noticed too, and laughed.

"So we're going to Andalite Disney World?"

Ax's face turned a shade darker.

{It would be more accurately described as our version of your Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls,} he explained. {But I have wanted to see it since I was young.}

"Oh, brilliant!" The Doctor beamed. He pressed a serious of buttons and swung a square screen around to face us. A bunch of strange symbols and grids appeared- something to do with space travel I guess. "Would you point it out for me, Aximili?"

{Of course.} Ax walked over to the screen, his hoofs echoing against the metal floors. I looked at my friends. Rachel leaned against the railing next to Cassie and Rose. Marco was still grumpy, but well, I kind of expected that. He was my best friend, but he wasn't exactly what you'd call an optimist. Tobias also looked grumpy. But he was a hawk. It was kind of a permanent expression. He hadn't said anything to us privately, so I guess he was feeling okay about everything.

"Oh!" Rose cried out suddenly, "I almost forgot about Aftran! I should go ask if she wants to come, I can let her ride along in me. Or with you, if you'd like, Cassie. I think she'd like to see something new, yeah?"

My jaw dropped. I saw Rachel and Marco staring at the British girl like she was speaking Chinese. Ax spun both stalk eyes around, staring at her looking horrified. It almost looked like he might puke, or at least it would have if he had a mouth.

{You would invite a Yeerk into your head?! Willingly? Has Cassie not informed you what they are capable of?}

And then Rose looked… offended. I mean, I knew Ax's hatred for the Yeerks ran deep. I could understand that. There were a lot of times where I felt the same way. I'd even had a Yeerk in my head, once. There had been an accident and I ended up a Controller. I was held hostage by a Yeerk who had at one time controlled my brother. My friends saved me by starving it out of my head. They guarded me for three days until it succumbed to the lack of Kandrona rays. But not before the Yeerk tormented me with Tom's memories. He force me to listen to my brother beg and cry and eventually lose all hope of ever being free.

Yeah, Rose didn't have the same history with the Yeerks that we did. But she and the Doctor- and he looked upset by Ax's comment too, I saw- they had been to the Yeerk Pool. They had fought Visser Three. Aftran was on our side, but… well, I wasn't sure I got it.

"Unless you've got a better way for her to get out of her box and have a look around. I'm not about to leave her behind just because it's a bit uncomfortable," Rose retorted.

"A bit uncomfortable?" Marco repeated. "A bit uncomfortable? Um, are you both insane? Because I feel as the though the experience of having a parasitic slug that can control your every move and read your every thought in your head might qualify as more than 'a bit uncomfortable'"

"Rose is right," said Cassie, speaking up for the first time since we had entered the ship. "Aftran would love the experience. And she and Rose went through a lot together in the Yeerk Pool. They understand each other's boundaries."

Okay, Cassie was probably right. After all, she understood Aftran from the beginning. And I trusted her instincts on this, too. We all did. Except maybe Ax, but that was another thing. Understanding it didn't stop me from feeling uneasy though. Did the Doctor and Rose really understand how serious the Yeerk invasion was?

"So! Gaimarf Estreen Esofi! A quick holiday, and then we'll get everything sorted out here on Earth!"

The Doctor spun around and started hitting buttons. Behind me, the doors of the ship swung shut. Ax had apparently given him the coordinates to find wherever it was we were going.

Then I saw both Cassie and Rose grab onto the railing. I didn't know why- but I quickly did the same. The Doctor flipped a lever and called out.

"Allons-y everyone!"

"He speaks French?" Rachel managed to mutter before a loud… whooshing? wheezing? This noise echoed around us. Everything began to rattle and shake. I immediately understood why everyone was holding on to something. My legs almost fell out from under me.

VWOOOOORP! VWOOOOOORP! VWOOOOOOORP!

{OH FU-} Tobias had fallen off the rafter and now flapped wildly around the room.

I saw Rachel on the floor grabbing onto Cassie's leg in attempt to hold on. Even Ax's hoofs stumbled and slid. The Doctor seemed unperturbed. He ran around hitting buttons and flipping switches as he leaned onto the console.

And then it stopped.

Tobias flared manage to grab onto a piece of foam that may have been duct-taped to the rail.

Marco had fallen on his butt and was not happy about it. "Did we crash? We better have crashed. Sir, I am going to have to see your driver's license. I have flown in spaceships. That is not how spaceships fly."

{You could have warned me}. Tobias fluffed up angrily and glared at us one by one, as if we could have known that was about to happen.

"So sorry!" Rose said, "I thought maybe Cassie would have mentioned-"

"-I thought you would like to surprise them-" Cassie laughed. Tobias shot her a dirty look.

"Weeelll, I did hope you hadn't," the Doctor confessed. "This old girl, she likes to show off. Well, we both do."

Tobias continued to stare daggers at the Doctor, who shrugged and smiled.

From her place on the floor, Rachel was laughing. She pulled herself upright, then walked over to Tobias. "Marco is waaaaay worse. Trust me," she chuckled. Gently, she smoothed out a few of Tobias's feathers.

"It's nothing personal. I'm actually a remarkably good pilot, all things considered. The TARDIS is just a lot of work. Worth it, though." The Doctor leaned forward and patted the giant glowing tube in the center affectionately.

Rose rolled her eyes, then pointed to the door. "Well, go on! Take a look!"

I turned and stared at the double doors. There was no sign we had moved at all now that the rattling had stopped.

"It's someone else's turn," said Cassie. Then everyone turned to look at me.

"After you, O Fearless Leader," said Marco, rubbing his elbow where it smacked into the floor.

"Right…" I said, trying not to sound nervous.

I guess this was part of the job. Going in first and leading the way when no one else wanted to. I saw Rose walk over to a corner of the room and reach her hand into a small, water-filled tank. I hadn't noticed it until now. Aftran. It would be good to distract everyone while Rose let her crawl into her head…

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the doors, trying to look more confident than I felt. At least Cassie seemed sure that things had gone well. That was something, at least. I hesitated, then opened the doors.

"Whoa."