From the mind of one crazy Animorphs fan
Animorphs:
The Infested
CAL:
My name is Cal.
My pal's name is Asthien 246.
I cant tell you my last name, middle name, where I live, what state I'm in, my pal's real numbers, or anything except the essentials.
The essentials? Well, you'll probably send me to the loony bin if I told you this in person, but we are being invaded be a species of alien, Yeerks.
Yea yea yea, you heard it all from those other dudes they call the Animorphs, but I'm different, I fight in my own way.
Sabotage.
But that's skipping ahead a bit, you see, I was just your average, run of the mill, unpopular, 7th grader…
Till that one day.
It was at school, I just started to get to my locker to put my books in for lunch, and I turned the corner and ran right into the Principal of our school, Chapman.
"All right young man, whats the idea of running me down like a truck?" He asked me.
"Err. Uh… next time I'll turn on my warning lights and start beeping when I back up." I joked, then I remembered whom I was talking to.
You're in trouble now. I thought to myself, Detention, nah… don't think it's that drastic.
"I'll give you a warning, but you recklessly ram me again, Mr. ______, I will have to give you a day of after school detention."
Chapman is strict, especially when he's in a hurry; I wondered where he's off to.
Then I had one big flash of my imagination on autopilot of Chapman being in alliance with some kind of alien.
If only I knew.
I rushed off to my locker and went to the lunchroom, I saw three lines of lunch, Verity bar, which only has two selections (some verity), Sizzle, which has the selection of Cheese, Ham, or ???? Burgers, and Dog days, which has Random, and Pizza with a different topping each day, today it was Ravioli in the random spot.
I like Ravioli, they just don't give enough.
I grabbed a cheeseburger and went to my usual spot, Ben, And David were there.
"Hey Ben, how's it going?" I asked.
"Oh nothing much, just rehearsals of Scrooge." He replied
Ben, like me, is really into theater, he was in last years production of scrooge, now he's in this years.
He always has his blond hair in a Beatles do for some reason.
I don't know the name…I don't do dos.
David, whom we call spike, sat across from us.
He eyed the fries that came with my burger.
"Your so nice…" he said
"No."
"Awww crap."
The reason we call him spike is that his hair is always in a spiky hairdo, we tease him about it.
We sometimes call him 'Your so nice.'
Midmeal, Ben mused "Your gonna freeze your balls off."
He saw I had forgotten my coat.
"Nope, I'm not going outside," I held up my Library pass, he made a sound of acknowledgement.
After lunch, I went through the halls and made sure I didn't hit Chapman.
I made it to the storage closet that nobody stores anything in and heard the clanking of a locker.
I looked around the corner and saw Chapman walk into a locker.
I grabbed a pencil from my pocket and stuck it in-between the closing locker and the frame.
I opened the locker and looked around, no one, I looked in the locker.
Then I went black.
ASTHIEN 2464:
I was called to the infestation dock to infest a 13-year-old human boy.
I reached the dock just as a huge object was lowered into the pool.
My new host's head.
I reached the ear and flattened out to fit inside, then I sprayed my painkillers throughout the ear to numb the pain.
I Asthien 2464 scored.
I moved through the ear canal and then felt it, the almost electronic human brain.
I moved in and flattened out, I covered the whole brain, into the tiny little folds and crevices in the brain.
I was gently raised out of the pool in my new body, I tested it, I moved its arm, and I moved its legs, unusually strong legs.
This human would do nicely.
I was led away from the pool, I opened my mouth to speak.
"Thank you, this will be fine."
It was a good voice, I looked through its memory, and this human had been in many musical entertainment periods.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!
Wow, this human's mind was strong, he elevated his level of speech to me 10fold, I almost staggered, and I answered.
Why, invading your privacy, of coarse.
Then my mind held a strong image of an almost real looking picture of an atomic explosion.
I staggered again.
Your mind is strong…I never expected this.
He answered abruptly, Thanks space slug.
I was having doubts about infesting this human, its mind easily enhanced pictures and sound in the mind.
However, the eyesight was awful.
You wear glasses, right?
Why, yes.
Where are they? I searched, yes, they fell off and were stepped on by a Hork-bajir.
Ah, well… He said suddenly
What? I answered, confused
Of coarse, his mind forced his way into mine, he must know I can read his.
I didn't answer, he knew enough.
I looked around the poolroom, and found his glasses.
Primitive human metal frames, primitive glass, They were shattered by a Hork-bajir, so I took them to another Infested human.
"Hmmm…well Asthien 2464, this human item can be replaced easily, just a few moments."
Getting my glasses fixed aye? Hmmm, wise, very wise.
I looked through his memory and… a total blank, it was like opening a book you've read before and finding all the pages blank.
Trying to read my thoughts aye? Well, too bad, can't have people, or aliens, looking carelessly through my mind.
No… It hit me, I was strong enough to make him move, but my thoughts were purely open, and his closed.
Without this knowledge of his lifestyle, I could never pass for this human.
The glasses were fixed.
I put them on and just like that, his sight was sharper, clearer, and more focussed.
Much better. I said
For sight yes, but ancient proverb says, though, "knowledge of the foe is greatest weapon of all." So you're screwed.
You cannot resist me human.
Just watch me.
ASTHIEN 2464:
He has disabled access to his memories, and enabled access to mine, this is dangerous because now his lifestyle is secret to me, making me act unusual in this body.
And that's dangerous to both of us.
I will gain access to your mind.
No answer.
I said…
Then I cut off, I could not know if he were asleep or not, that was frustrating.
Then I noticed I could, just barely, see his dreaming.
A large crowd, faces pushing in on all sides, but none moving, then I noticed it was all computer generated.
Cal powered a warm glow in his hand and shot it into the crowd, bones flew everywhere.
Then I looked deeper, the bones and glow were from a video game called Castlevania.
The faces were from another game called Goldeneye.
I was curious about these games.
I went up into the room that Cal said was his, and pulled a video game out of a box.
A strange, almost rectangular box.
Heh, gonna play some N64? I'll let you see some of the game controls so you CAN play. Cal said defiantly.
I placed the game in the small black console and pulled the switch.
I turned the TV on.
Suddenly…A computer generated castle shot out of the blank screen, I was amazed.
I picked up the clear green controller and searched the small portion of memory that tells about CastleVania.
I pressed a small red button in the center of the strangely, but efficiently shaped controller.
A boy in a purple Leisure suit was playing a human instrument called a Violin.
In large strangely proportioned letters at the top, it spelled CastleVania.
I went to 'game start' and it took me to an image of pages of a book.
I started a new game and selected Easy, with 'Carrie' as my Character.
Good choice…she has magic homing shots, good for beginners.
Thank you human.
Its switched to a scene of a forest, the camera focussed on a little girl with a green top, and a blue dress, also blue hair and gold bracelets.
"Whenever awake, I have no regret." A realistic voice said from the TV.
I moved forward and Lightening struck a tree, I jumped.
Woah…sheesh, mebbe I should've told you to watch that first step.
I tried to charge my magic shots, it got bigger than her head, I let go and she shot it out of her hand.
Another tree fell.
I progressed through the level for a while and the screen faded.
Huh? I pressed
In text instead of words, Carrie said, "he has breathed his last… A local villager?"
Then the skeleton in the foreground's jaw fell apart from the rest of his head.
Then a bunch of skeletons attacked.
Easily vanquished.
Good now watch for the giant skeleton.
"Giant skeleton?" I said in human speech.
The Giant skeleton attacked.
I was soon killed.
Nevertheless, I did quite well actually.
CAL:
He sucked!
The big Skeleton is the easiest boss in there, it doesn't even get hard until the sewer.
I tried to shake my head, but he had control over it.
So… When we go back to the yeerk pool, will I be put in one of those cages or in that place with the big screen?
It depends on how you act when I am out.
Oh… um, I guess I should act cool.
Yes.
One more thing, what are these 'Andelite Bandits?'
His thoughts almost out did mine when I said 'Andelite.'
They are a small group of Andelites that frequently attack us and ruining out plan. he said, with hate in his words.
I had a plan, it would involve making amends with the Yeerk in my head.
So, slug.
Yes human fool.
Great, first sign of friendship, insults.
Well, since were gonna be spending the rest of our lives together, mebbe we should make peace.
Peace? I could tell he was surprised
Yeah. And I sent him soothing pictures of birds and serene backgrounds used for the old 'Deep thoughts' on SNL.
He was amazed at the beauty of the pictures.
Wow… is that earth?
Yes.
I do not wanna take part in destroying that! I don't care what Visser three says, I am out of that!
It worked, I searched his mind for info on andelites.
Claustrophobic, Grazing, fields…
All synonyms for 'forest'.
ASTHIEN 2464:
The beauty.
I hated my species for what they wanted to do, My hate spread across Andelites, and now Yeerks too!
I can't believe it, my own species!
I have a plan to stop the yeerks, first we need to find those Andelite bandits.
I listened and tried to suppress my hate for Andelites.
Really difficult.
CAL:
The plan was we go into the forest and wander for awhile.
The Andalites may jump us hopefully, and take us prisoner.
I just hope they're reasonable aliens.
We went into the woods, Asthien was shuddering sacredly with my body.
Don't worry, I'm sure if the Andelites are enemies of the Yeerks, they gotta be good, Right?
He snorted out of my nose.
I was playing and replaying 'Henry Ford' in my mind all the way.
Suddenly a blue blur and a blade was pressed against my throat.
Do Not move, not even a finger. the Andalite said.
A strange mix of Centaur, and Scorpion with two extra eyes on antennae, and an extra finger on each hand, and weird blue fur.
"Andalite!" Asthien spat the word out of my mouth.
Shut up you… I then said a very impolite word. Don't make him think you're a Yeerk.
Yeerk! the Andalite also spat the word out
I tried to roll my eyes, Nevermind, he already does.
The Andalite blindfolded me and marched me somewhere.
The black cloth flew off.
I was in a barn.
ASTHIEN 2464:
A barn?
I saw four humans, along with that Andalite that captured us.
"Humans?" I said in wonder
Humans? Calvin exclaimed in equal wonderment.
One male human asked, "Ax… what's going on here?"
I do not know Prince Jake. 'Ax' said
"What? Did he have a cinnamon bun, Ax?" another human male said.
"Marco, shut up." A Female human said.
The last human was wearing huge galoshes and overalls, both equally covered in assorted dung.
So, what do you want Yeerk? another one said.
Go with the plan Asthien.
I made the proposition, and they each told me their names and occupation to the group.
The first said. "I'm Jake, I'm the leader of this outfit."
The Andalite said, I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Ithill, you may call me Ax.
Another Human said, "I'm Marco, I do humor around here."
The next said. "I'm Rachel and I'm here to Kick butt."
The black girl in the Dung-garees interjected, "I'm Cassie, the resident Animal Expert."
The last voice came from thought speech, I'm Tobias, Bird-boy to my colleagues.
I looked around for the source.
YO! Up here!
I looked up, and saw a red-tailed hawk.
Woah, BIIIIIRRRRRDDDDD-MAAAAAANNN!
What?
He let me look through his memory a bit.
OHHH! An old TV cartoon.
"Amazing…" I said.
CAL:
I kept my mind focussed on Rachel, I felt strange about her.
She is violent and reckless.
I dunno how I knew, but I knew somehow.
Oh nevermind, I focused on other things, really hard.
"So, what's your name?" Cassie asked us.
"My name is Asthien 2464, and my host's name is Calvin." My alien colleague said
What do you want? Ax said, annoyed, and genuinely pissed off at Asthien.
"To make peace with the Andalite bandits, I see that that's you aye?"
He's learning.
"My host has shown me pictures of beautiful scenes of lakes, and animals you call birds, I saw the wrong my brethren were doing and am betraying them."
"Oh shut up stupid controller, we know that you're a trap from the visser."
Uh oh, they don't believe you. I said grimly.
"Please, I hope you can at least put up a figh…"
Suddenly, as if by reflex, my head broke free of its nervous stare on Ax, to a Psychotic stare to Rachel, I never moved a finger.
Rachel fell backward.
"Wha?" She exclaimed, stunned from shock.
Woah. Human, you… you broke away from the control of a Yeerk! My sluggish cohort said in surprise.
"Woah… Anybody ever see Carrie?" Marco said to joke.
No one laughed.
ASTHIEN 2464:
He broke away for exactly 3 seconds!
Away from a YEERK!
"NO! My host!" I yelled as I fell from sudden shock.
Oh man, did I do that? Cal blurted.
"Hey, did you hear that, guys?" Cassie suddenly asked.
"Yeah, who was that?" Jake concurred
"You. Heard. My. HOST!" I yelled to them.
My god, I can communicate telepathically? Calvin said, obviously surprised.
Yes, and perform various acts of telekinesis. Ax Concurred.
I couldn't believe it, I had the only host who could perform Psychic displays, and the worst thing was, I COULNT CONTROL THEM!
Cal sent soothing images into my mind to calm me down.
Snap out of it Asthien. he crooned.
I 'snapped' out of it.
"Asthien?" I was surprised they knew my name.
Nothing was safe to me, no secrets.
NOOOOOOOOOOO!
CAL:
"Tel-e-ki-ne-sis: 1.The production of motion in objects with no physical cause in evidence, 2.The ability claimed by mediums to cause such motions. Noun."
Gee, I never thought I'd be a psychic.
The Yeerk fainted onto the floor of the barn.
It was Erie, I couldn't open my eyes, and I couldn't move, it was like being dead, but still conscious.
Suddenly I made my eyes snap open.
"AHHH!" I screamed!
I looked over, faces… Rachel, Cassie, Jake, Marco… an Andalite, Ax… A bird, must be Tobias.
I looked down onto the table, a Grey-white slug writhed there.
I picked him up and Cassie gave me a glass of water to put him in.
I did.
"Thank you." I said awkwardly, I haven't spoken for awhile.
I smiled, then Ax started to get annoying.
"Ax, stop talking about that Elfangor guy." I said
But, I'm not talking at all Calvin. he said confused.
I realized my power of mind reading.
"Cool." I muttered
I tried some powers, suddenly, Ax's tail blade was pressed against his throat.
AHH! Prince Jake! I can not move. Ax yelled in surprised.
I let go of my Psychic hold.
Woah.
Tobias spoke Cal Did you do that.
"Wow, yeah… and Marco? Yes, I have seen it." I walked up to him and gave him a playful push. "Please, no pig's blood."
JAKE:
"Psy-Chic: 1.Of or pertaining to the human soul or mind, 2.Mental, as opposed to physical. Adj."
A psychic member of the Animorphs.
A useful member of the Animorphs.
Cal put the disgusting little Yeerk Back into his head.
"Say, Cal?" I started
"Yes?"
"Well, would you like to be a member?"
"Sure, where's that cube?"
I put on a confused face.
He pointed to his head.
"Oh yeah, well, Common."
I led him to the secret place for the 'Escafili' device, or the Morphing Cube.
Then it hit me, the Yeerk was in his head.
"Hey, Wait a minute!"
"I know, we made a deal, he enjoys the ride, I drive." He said
We looked around and ran into the woods to Ax.
Hello Prince Jake, Calvin. he greeted us.
"Cal he is too far off, could you call him?"
"Sure, Prince Jake." Cal joked, a little Marco in training.
YO! Ax! Fallow the coordinates I send you.
Then a visual picture appeared in my mind, following from where Ax was to were we were.
"Can't you control where that goes?" I asked.
"Yeah, to you and Ax exclusively, duh."
Moment's later Ax bounded into the clearing we were in.
After some chitchat and small talk, Cal used the Cube with help from Ax and I.
"Gee, tingly." He said.
It was funny, a boy with such vast power, but really lovable.
A psychic Marco pretty much.
Cal rolled his eyes, then focused a gaze on AX.
"I got a great battle morph." he exclaimed
AX:
We were at the Barn, I was in human morph.
An andalite is not the best thing to be in public.
"Cassie, is there a wolf morph I can get at?" Cal asked.
Cassie pointed to a cage in the far-left corner.
Cal grabbed Jake and went over to the cage.
"Ok Jake, this will make you feel a bit sleepy."
He acquired Jake, then he moved to the wolf cage.
He acquired the big Alpha male.
"There, finished." He said feeling very proud.
It hit me hard, he read my mind and found out how I did my Human morph.
He started to morph.
Escafili was a brilliant Andalite to build the Escafili device, but he could have made it a bit better process.
First was the height difference, he quickly got the same height as Jake.
Then the Silver fur grew, then his legs Changed, but not drastically, like most morphs, but his heel rose to mid-shin height and his legs got more Muscular. That is about it. Then his face grew out like the wolf's but shorter.
How am I doing? he said in thought-speech
Thought-speech? This early in morph, it could not be!
Ah yes, he is Psychic.
"Good lord, the Werewolf." Marco joked.
His ears and nose became wolf-like, but still like Jake's.
His Arms grew fur and became slightly Paw-like with claws.
Then his tail just shot out, hairless at first then quickly grew the same silver fur.
His eyes Became like Jake's, then slightly more wolf-like.
"It's like looking at werewolf Jake and regular Jake!" Cassie announced.
"Excuse me…EE. What is a werewolf? Olf, wherrr, olf… A species of animal? SpAH." I asked in puzzlement.
Cal answered. Well, Ax, it's a mythical creature that is half-wolf half-human, and comes out in the light of a full moon, but I guess I'm the first werewolf aye?
His artificial hooves were too large for his wolf feet and he simply stepped out of them, but all the rest of his clothes were just slightly small.
Wow, the sense of smell is amazing, Rachel, you were eating bacon an eggs yesterday…huh?
Rachel shot him what my prince said was an I've-Heard-That-A-Million-Times look.
CASSIE:
He was so cool looking, A mix of Jake, and a wolf.
Of coarse, I rather like Jake, as in Like, do not listen to Marco.
So I thought, That things kinda cute.
Thanks. Cal said smugly, only I heard.
So, anyone see John Talbot around? I wanna learn him a thing or two about being a werewolf.
No one laughed.
Nevermind He said.
I learned later that John Talbot is the main Character in the movie 'The Werewolf'
Then I laughed.
He demorphed and only Jake was left later.
Jake was helping shovel dungy straw out.
"So, Cassie, You like this addition to the team?"
"Well, he is a bit on the smart… ee pants side sometimes."
"He's the edge were gonna need in this war, y'know?"
"True, but it's easy to forget that he carries a Yeerk."
CAL:
Now I know your wondering that I said sabotage and not the way the Animorphs fight, well, be patient, I'll show ya how in a minute.
So anyway, you trust me right? I mean I'm the star of this story, I gotta live, you believe my Yeerk just rides backseat in my brain and enjoys the ride.
Well, guess what… Asthien needs Kadrona rays, three days are up.
The Animorphs have a plan.
I go In like any other controller, get Asthien into the pool, the Animorphs show Up from my Psychic flash in their heads, and I run off to morph wolf.
I only did the werewolf to see if I could.
I was really planning on regular Wolf.
Anyway, I went into the secret passage in the Bumpers fun center.
I grabbed a blue golf club, an orange ball, and requested extra Lincoln head tokens.
Then I went through and in hole 18, I pressed my hand on the plastic casing, while other controllers threw a hologram with an out of order sign over me.
The machine slid back, I stepped in.
The elevator set me down into the pool, the strong aroma of the lead-colored water aroused Asthien.
I went over to the UN-infestation dock.
After Asthien was safe in the pool, I sent the message and went into the bathroom.
Moments later I heard the calls of a Tiger, a Hork-Bajir, A Grizzly, a wolf, and a Gorilla.
Ax was with Erek the chee at Axes scoop making a portable Kadrona for Asthien.
I quickly morphed Wolf and snuck out of the bathroom.
Hey, he isn't a werewolf. Marco said.
I replied, Don't you read twain? "A man-cat would greatly increase the Man, but deteriorate the cat."
I promptly attacked.
It was a terrible battle.
I suddenly was having second thoughts to this.
RACHEL:
YAHOOO! I yelled gleefully in thought-speech.
Rachel, only you would yell yahoo when you're covered in hork-bajir blood. Cassie said grimly.
I charged into a group of attacking hork-bajir, bashing them over into a nearby building.
Cassie and Cal were attacking with wolf pack efficiency.
Jake was biting and clawing with his huge paws and teeth.
Marco was bowling them over and smashing them with oversized fists and yelling STRIKE!
Tobias was slashing and blocking with hork-bajir blades.
The smells of singed fur and blood everywhere.
Fall back, they have us covered! Jake yelled to us privately.
Using his Telekinesis, cal directed everyone to look away from him and the rest of the Animorphs so he could sneak away into the bathroom to demorph, and we could get away Scot-free.
We got away.
I wished Cal luck.
Don't worry Rachel, I'm fine. He said.
CAL:
At the barn, I fitted the micro Kadrona into my ear, it was like one of those hearing aids that you cant see, except it both helped my hearing and fed Asthien Kadrona rays.
"All right Ax and Erek." I said to the two strange creatures.
"Thanks Cal." Erek said talking through his hologram mouth.
"Thanksss-UH! Cal, caaa, callll." Obviously, Ax said that in human morph.
"Well, sorry, but I don't think I can keep up this Animorphs business, the battles and stuff, maybe Asthien and I could do Espionage and sabotage like Erek and the other Chee." I said sorrily.
Cassie nodded and said, "Don't worry, If we need you, we all call you, ok?"
"Right. And remember, if you need and extra pair of morphs, don't hesitate to call."
I started to walk off, and then I stopped and curiously read over their minds.
"A test run for me? Well, I assure you, the Yeerk was safe in the pool."
Then I walked away.
"Goodbye… Bye… TA TA… Etc." They all said together.
Say goodbye for me Cal.
"Oh yeah, Asthien says bye too." I said.
Then I walked off.
The understudy to the Animorphs.