A/N: Plot seem okay so far? It's the first plot-heavy fic I've written; I hope what I've got in mind proves decent enough.
A Sario Rip is a tear in space-time that can cause things to travel forwards or backwards in time. In Megamorphs #2: In the Time of the Dinosaurs, a Sario Rip sent the Animorphs back to the late Cretaceous.
The Disclosure
Thomas Oliver couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He peered around several times, trying to catch the stalker, but saw only rocks, trees, road, and building; even so, the unease remained at he surveyed the museum. Upon seeing the sign with Anton Mercer's name, he muttered something or another. Rachel, struggling to keep pace and stay out of view at once, could only make out vibrations with the fly's senses, resigning to check the sign later. In the meantime, a gust of air blew her along, and her compound eyes found something large – massive – and animate facing her and the teacher she'd been tagging. Couldn't be human or normal animal.
In his distraction, Dr. Oliver didn't notice an insect land on his shoulder. In a split-second decision, the girl-turned-fly chose not to morph something more battle-capable, since whatever it was, it seemed too big to tackle by herself.
--Tobias! Ax!-- she called frantically, weight of the matter setting in.
--Rachel? Tobias is conferring with the others. Is something wrong?-- Ax answered, some distance away.
--There's something here! Something HUGE! I can't tell what it is!--
--Where are you?--
--On the bugged guy – I think we're in his jeep now, because it feels like we're going really fast.--
Ax flew as fast as a harrier could along the road leading to the museum, barely stopping in time to avoid a head-on collision with a giant reptilian monster, wings screaming with pain as they opened, meeting the tearing force of air resistance.
--Aaaaaaaah!-- Executing a turning dive, he narrowly dodged the open mouth, menacing teeth within.
--Ax? Ax?! What is it?-- Rachel demanded.
--It's a reptile of some kind! It looks like what we encountered when we were sent back millions of years in your planet's history!-- came the panicked response.
--A dinosaur? You mean to tell me that it's a FREAKIN' DINOSAUR?-- she screeched back, now bewildered and utterly terrified. The last thing they needed was to deal with another Sario Rip, and involving a suspicious party in what seemed to be the unchanged present would only make it that much worse.
The Andalite pulled back behind the gargantuan reptile, thankful that it was too preoccupied with the jeep and its occupants to chase him, then shocked as the vehicle drove under a bridge; the dinosaur charged into it, knocking its head off to reveal a mass of circuitry and metal.
--We've slowed down. Why have we slowed DOWN?-- Rachel shrieked, not wanting to find herself demorphing in the monstrosity's mouth.
--Rachel, it's not a dinosaur. It's a mechanical contraption of some kind,-- Ax responded, clearly confused. He circled the fallen robot, not noticing as another bird of prey swooped down in a sharp dive, slamming itself against the unsuspecting Dr. Oliver's neck. The red-tailed hawk fluttered erratically, dazed, before collapsing on the ground.
--Tobias?-- Rachel asked, demorphing and racing over, cradling the fallen raptor, now morphing human, as Ax, hearing Jake's thoughtspoken instructions, checked to make sure that the science teacher was fully unconscious.
"Ow... Damn..." Tommy muttered, quickly snapping awake as he felt a stinging pain against his throat and drops of warm liquid roll thickly down his neck. The blade nicked into his skin as he spoke; he followed it up to the blue-furred tail of an alien, quadrupedal with a hominid torso, mouthless, with three nostril-slits and four eyes, two mounted on stalks. All four were directed at him.
--You've been unconscious for quite some time,-- the alien sneered flicking his tail-blade ever so slightly, --Offer information freely, and we might make your death quick, Yeerk.-- The last word dripped with derision and spite. Ax relaxed his tail enough to let the bewildered man speak.
"Yeerk? What the-? How did you talk in my-? Who are you?" Tommy asked, thoughts in disarray. Organizing them to deal with the most pressing danger at hand – the blade against his neck – he continued with a level voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I know that I'm not whatever or whomever you're looking for."
--I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, brother of Prince Elfangor. Not willing to talk? I'm afraid you'll have slow death by starvation to look forward to.-- The alien nodded to the heavy chains binding the man to the chair; Tommy noticed that he was in his own underground construct, where he'd planned to conference with the newest set of Rangers. Noting with dismay that the gems were gone, he heaved a sigh; things never did pan out easily, and this looked like it wasn't to be an exception. The alien swiveled the eyes mounted on eyestalks, then left the visible area.
As he proceeded down the tunnel, Ax heard the other Animorphs before they came into view.
"Jake, he was being chased by a mechanical dinosaur. A mechanical dinosaur! How does that show he's a Controller?"
--He's got technology way beyond what normal people should have. If he's not a Controller, he's some other kind of alien or something.--
"Oh, come on! No matter what he is, we can't trust him not to be under Yeerk control, or be peaceful. Those gems would make awful great war materials – instant soldier!"
--Prince Jake, he is awake,-- Ax said as heads turned to him, four human and one hawk, --I have given him the warning.--
"And his response?" Jake asked.
--Confusion, but oddly, no fear. He questioned what and who I am, then told me that he wasn't what I was looking for.--
Cassie nodded, saying, "See? He can't be a Controller – he didn't know what an Andalite is."
"Yeah, but he also wasn't scared. Just because the normal Controller screeches 'Aaaaaaaaaaaandalite!' at seeing us on the attack doesn't mean that they're dumb enough to reveal themselves when captured, Cass," Marco retorted with an eye-roll, crossing his arms and shifting his stance.
"Yeah, but you don't see Controllers running from giant, mechanical replicas of prehistoric lizards everyday either, Marco," Rachel acidly commented. They turned to Jake.
"Why is it always down to me?" he grumbled under his breath to no one in particular, then turned to Marco. "Did you bring some?"
"Yep," the latter replied, withdrawing a packet of maple and ginger flavored instant oatmeal from the drawstring bag he'd carried back and tossing to their de facto leader, "Always have a few handy in the house, just in case."
"Jake, you can't mean to–" Cassie piped up, alarmed.
--It's the only way to assure that he doesn't have a Yeerk in him without waiting out three days, Cassie.-- Tobias aimed two hard-staring raptor eyes at her; she averted her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.
"But if there's a Yeerk in him, it'll drive the Yeerk insane. It's like torture, forcing them to take a drug, not to mention that there's no getting it out of the host..." she murmured softly, words trailing off.
"If he's a Controller, he'll refuse," Jake said, placing a hand on Cassie's shoulder to comfort her, "We won't force it on him either way. There's more at stake here than usual – we need to get explanation for these." He took the still wanly shining red rock from his pocket, closing his fist around it.
"Hello, Dr. Oliver," Tobias stated coolly as he strode into the room, face devoid of expression even as his heart hammered in his chest at the situation. He'd been chosen to interrogate Dr. Oliver, being that he was a hawk now; Ax had difficulties with the instant oatmeal, unable to hold it as an Andalite with weak alien hands and unable to resist the temptation of eating it all in human morph. The hawk-boy's human body didn't cut an imposing figure and he was hardly best suited for the job in mentality, but the others all had Dr. Oliver's class; they'd be recognized for human, not Andalite.
"Who are you?" asked the chained man, lifting his head to face the entrant.
"You're not in a position to ask questions," Tobias replied coldly, briefly taken aback by the fierce intensity of the stare meeting his own hawkish gaze. He set a bowl down on a table, steam rising and spoon protruding from it, and unchained the captive.
"You say you're not a Yeerk. Prove it. Taste the oatmeal," Tobias demanded, trying his hardest to make the command, a rather inane-sounding one, seem imposing in any way.
Tommy gave a short, half-nervous laugh at the words, concluding that he'd been abducted by some absolute lunatics with a freakish obsession for oatmeal – and from the looks of the contents of the bowl, oatmeal of the instant variety. The hard knock to the head would then explain away the alien. Now all he needed was the right opening, but until that came by, it'd be best to comply; people were capable of doing horrific things. He walked over, picked up the spoon, and took in a mouthful, shrugging as it did all of nothing aside from warming his insides as he swallowed.
"He's not a Controller," Cassie sighed softly, standing just outside the room.
"Maybe so, but he's still got a lot of explaining to do," Marco whispered back as he, Jake, and Cassie walked into view.
"You- you're the new kids – the ones in detention!" Dr. Oliver exclaimed. What with the mechanical dinosaur, the disappearance of the Dino Gems that he only now, with the immediate danger gone, registered to be of great concern, the alien hallucination, the abduction, the cult of oatmeal, and the sudden appearance of the teens he was supposed to be looking after, it was one of those days that even a veteran Power Ranger would call bizarre.
"Bingo," Jake said, approaching the wide-eyed teacher. He exchanged a look with Tobias; the latter left the room to demorph. He held out a red stone, and was about to ask what they were when Dr. Oliver interrupted.
"You're the ones who took those?"
"Yeah." Marco nodded after a second, startled. "Wanna explain why I can suddenly fight with my previously non-existent martial arts skill?" He held out his blue gem; Cassie held out her yellow.
"God... Um." Tommy shook his head, disbelieving of his foul luck. "Well, that means you're Power Rangers now."
Jake gaped with the eyes of an owl, Cassie's jaw dropped, unhinged, and Marco guffawed.
"Hahaha! P-p-power Rangers! Hahaha! Riiiiight," he laughed, then darkened and continued soberly, with a cynical tone, "We're nuttier than a jar full of almonds for reasons you can't imagine, Dr. O, but we're not THAT insane yet. You'll have to come up with something better."
"I'm serious, Marco," Dr. Oliver stated levelly, "You're Power Rangers, just like those you heard about in Angel Grove, Mariner Bay, and so forth. Like you said, you've gained powers you've never had before." He stared at the teens; both parties waited for the other to back down in stillness so absolute that Tobias's gentle fluttering outside could be heard.
Finally, Jake relented. "Okay, so we assume you're not a bad guy. How do these powers work? And why us, why now?"
"You're chosen because you took them – yellow traditionally means heart and spirit, blue means intellect and strategy, and red means determination and leadership." The trio exchanged a meaningful look; the descriptions were all too fitting. "Why you need them - there's danger ahead, and you'll see soon enough. You've already seen one of their effects – enhanced fighting skill. The gems have bonded to your DNA, and–"
"Whoa, wait a sec. DNA?" Marco asked, narrowing his eyes in worry, but didn't question further, only muttering the disquiet that all three teens felt.
"And you'll be able to morph into Power Rangers with these." Dr. Oliver rummaged around, pulled out a briefcase, and opened it, revealing three odd bracelets. "They're morphers."
As Jake, Marco, and Cassie fit the morphers on, Tommy folded his arms. "Now, I think you have some explaining to do yourselves. I'd ask why you're not as fazed by all of this as you should be, but what with today, I'm not surprised by your lack of shock. What was with the oatmeal, Yeerks, and Controllers? And that alien? You're not just normal teens, are you?" Hearing this, Ax and Rachel walked in, Tobias perched on the latter's shoulder. Jake hesitated, then figuring that the secret had already been irreversibly spilled – if Dr. Oliver became a host, all was lost from what he'd seen, so better to arm him with knowledge anyway – spoke up, somber voice and eyes carrying a weariness and gravity far beyond his age.
"The oatmeal was to test if you're a Controller or not – Yeerks lose sanity at the taste of it. As for what Yeerks are, they're parasitic, alien slugs that crawl into your brain through your ear canal and take over your body. And Ax over there is an Andalite, friendly aliens that are our last hope against the Yeerks, if they ever decide to come to our rescue. And us?" He gestured in a tired, decidedly ungrand sweep of the arms at the teens, bird, and alien, a faint, wry grin tugging at his lips.
"We're the Animorphs."
