Author's note: I wrote this instead of finishing my homework today. Hopefully it's better than my last one. It's supposed to take place sometime after book #27. I don't own Animorphs blah blah disclaimer. Let me know what you think if you feel like it. Parentheses equal thought-speak.

Rachel

We were falling. Me and Tobias plunging like rocks toward the ocean a half-mile below us. The other BugFighter exploded in a fireball as it crashed on the distant horizon. Tobias must have hit it after all. I remember feeling vaguely triumphant even as I tried desperately to morph to eagle before I smashed into the waves. The surface tension of the sea below me would feel as hard as concrete if I hit as a human, splitting me open like a gutted fish. I couldn't see Tobias anywhere. Didn't know if he was even alive, let alone conscious and flying.

The plan…no. Calling what we did a "plan" would be lying. It was a stupid spur-of-the-moment decision. Tobias had been skeptical; I'd heard it in his thought-speak while we were out flying over the cliffs. But I had a reputation to live up to—bold and reckless Rachel, so I talked him into it. It hadn't taken much. He would follow me anywhere.

Maybe I took advantage of that sometimes.

After I'd almost gotten us both killed as sperm whales when we were trying to find the Pemalite ship, I thought I'd learned my lesson. But no. My addled brain flashed back to earlier that morning as I fell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Hi Rachel) he called to me.

(Hey you) I puffed, flapping hard in the early morning chill.

(Head north a little. There's a nice updraft off the cliffs.) It was our new Saturday morning thing: flying over the beach before it got crowded with people. People who might notice a red-tailed hawk and a bald eagle flying together. 6am on a Saturday? Ouch. But it was practically the only time we could be alone together lately. There weren't any thermals so early, so it was tough work getting altitude. Luckily Tobias knew all the little tricks, how to get the most out of the salt breezes and early light. Usually we just flew and talked for awhile. Sometimes we'd land in an isolated grotto and…stop talking, but today I happened to know Jake, Cassie, Ax, and Marco would be down at the beach later so time was limited.

(Gah, finally!) I said as I breasted the cliffs and caught a ride upward on a passing gust. The rising sun behind me cast a golden light over the waves in front of me. (Gorgeous,) I breathed.

(Yeah, this is worth the early wake-up call) Tobias said circling above me.

(How are you?) I asked.

(Same as ever.)

I sighed inwardly. This question always got the same ambiguous answer from him lately. I never knew if we'd end up fighting or teasing each other or talking seriously these days. Tobias had been through a lot lately. Plus his usual issues with his screwed-up life made him moody and unpredictable. Usually I didn't mind, but I was in the mood for fun today.

(Better now that you're here) he added with a playful hint in his "voice."

That was more like it.

(You know you can't resist my wonderful self. My manicured talons, my awesome flying skills...) I kidded him.

(Oh totally,) he said laughing as he shot under me and spun around in mid-air before soaring straight up. (Maybe you can give me some pointers later.)

I laughed and tried ineffectually to copy him. (Race you down the beach!) I called up to him.

(You're on! Last one to the surf rental shack is an airborne chicken!) as he took off.

NO ONE calls me a chicken. I hauled feathers down the coast, pushing my shoulders until they burned. It was the first time in a long time I'd gone that fast without trying to escape from some horrible enemy chasing me. My huge wingspan gave me an advantage, but like I said, Tobias knows all the tricks. We were dead even at one hundred yards away when I saw it. A shimmer in the dawn sky. I stopped suddenly, ignoring Tobias' taunts as he reached the finish line. I knew what that shimmer meant. We all did. Cloaked ship!

(Tobias!) I yelled, interrupting his victory cheers, (Come look at this!)

He circled around and flapped back to me, but I was already heading out over the water.

(What's—oooh.) he said, following my line of sight, (What do you think it is? BugFighter?)

(Either that or Ax's Radioshack projects are really progressing.)

The air ripple that signified the little ship sank down close to the surface of the water. A semi-circle opened up in what seemed like the thin air, and a Hork-Bajir in a weird diving suit splashed down.

(What are they doing? It's almost broad daylight,) Tobias wondered.

(They must be desperate or something. They're not even that far from land.)

(Pemalite ship again?)

(No way, they have to realize we moved it way deeper than that) I responded.

The Hork-Bajir kicked down below the surface, but my eagle eyes were designed to see through water. I watched him dive deeper and deeper. Tobias was saying something about getting Jake, but I wasn't listening. I had an idea.

(Let's steal it!) I blurted. I could feel the familiar rush of adrenaline kicking in. I beat my wings out to sea.

(Steal what?) Tobias called, following me. (We don't even know what he's looking for down there.) He sounded apprehensive, thinking I was calling for an underwater mission. Tobias hates water. I don't think he can even swim when he's human.

(No,) I cried giddily, (the ship! Let's take his BugFighter while he's down there!)

(Rachel…) Tobias started to admonish me, but it was too late. I'd already landed on the cloaked BugFighter. He sighed and alighted next to me. (You know this is probably insane, right? You don't think we should just tell Jake?)

(The Hork-Bajir might be gone by then! Besides, it's just the one of him. We can take him! And how awesome would it be to steal a Yeerk ship?) I chattered as I demorphed.

(Then lead on, Xena!)

Fully human and freezing in my gymnastics leotard, I climbed down the invisible BugFighter toward the door. Tobias just swooped right through. I would have shorn off my wingtips if I'd tried it as an eagle. I dangled from a handhold above the door frame and swung inside. My bare feet touched down on the black marble-like floor.

"The floors in these spaceships are always so shiny," I observed.

(Yeah, the Yeerks and Andalites probably have stock in Mop 'n' Glo) Tobias cracked.

"Demorph to human so we can fly this thing," I told him.

(I have to morph to become human) he mumbled.

I pretended not to hear him. That was not a fight I was interested in having again.

"I remember Ax doing something with this panel last time we…Ha! Got it!" The ship hummed to life. Tobias slid into the giant weapons chair. "Let's go land this on Jake's front yard!"

"Forget that, let's joyride to the moon and back!" Tobias said, getting into my excited spirit. It was the happiest I'd seen him in days. Maybe months. I grinned and leaned over to kiss him. But before I could get close, a shadow fell across us. Tobias pulled away, his eyes wide at whatever was over my shoulder. "Oh shiii…" he started to say. I whipped my head around.

A bewildered Hork-Bajir stood in the doorway holding some electronic thing in one hand and a very heavy-duty looking snorkel thing in the other. For a split second the three of us just stared at each other.

"Human folk?" he said baffled. That broke the ice. I slammed my hand down on the panel and the BugFighter shot up through the atmosphere. The suction of our rapid takeoff knocked the Hork-Bajir out into the blue. "This is bad," I muttered.

"It's worse than you think," Tobias said, staring at the weapons display, "we've got company. Another BugFighter on our tail!"

(BugFighter 322, acknowledge) a mechanized voice demanded.

"Um, no," I said, frantically searching for a way to make us go faster.

(BugFighter 322, failure to acknowledge. Mandatory termination procedure initiated.)

"Now what do you think that means?" Tobias wondered. A red laser stripe singed our flank as his response. "Oh."

I struggled with the controls, pushing every panel, hitting the few buttons. Tobias fired the Dracon beams again and again, but our pursuer was cloaked just like we were.

"Rachel, fly straight up! We're gonna have to bail!"

BAM! A direct hit rocked our ship. Sparks flew out of the panel in front of me.

"I'm trying!" I yelled as a small explosion melted the monitors. An automated voice said something urgently in an alien language.

"No time! Gotta bail NOW!" Tobias shouted. He staggered toward the door as the injured BugFighter bucked through the sky. I turned away from the controls and for the first time noticed most of the bulkhead was on fire. Black smoke poured out of the ship's stubby wings. Tobias was mostly demorphed already; he'd be able to fly safely away. But he was waiting. Making sure I jumped clear before he went. I looked down at the ocean below us. Way too close. Not enough time to morph now. I hadn't even finished the thought when the whole sky seemed to explode.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All of that flashed through my head in a split second coupled with intense fear for Tobias. Could a bird survive that? Had he gotten clear before the ship blew up? But the sight of the white-capped waves rushing up at me shook me out of my stunned reverie. Not enough time to morph, but had to try. I was no use to Tobias or anyone dead. (Wings, wings, wiiiiiiings!) I thought fervently.

I felt myself fall slightly slower as my bones turned hollow. (No! Not bird bones, WINGS!) Suddenly my shoulder blades erupted into huge, larger than life gold and white feathery wings, but I was still mostly human. Arms, legs, torso, head. Too human. I hit the water. Like a ton of bricks. My vision fractured in a bright blue starburst of the sky meeting the ocean before everything went black.