Chapter Two: Hope Just Crashed and Burned

Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs.

All the Taxxons and Hork-Bajir were standing at attention, of course. Tonight, the Visser would probably be too busy to care, but normally the Visser just needed a reason to kill random underlings. Some say he's an Andalite-loving fool (never to him, of course; fool or not, he's more than deadly), but I just think he gets high off of death. It's like he's addicted to war or something. Rather disturbing, and somewhat annoying as Temrash never seems to do anything or stand anywhere particularly decapitation-worthy.

The Hork-Bajir and Taxxons formed a ring around Elfangor's ship, ostensibly to keep him from escaping, but he was obviously too badly wounded to try anything. They just wanted a better view and, I suppose, to feel a part of what was about to happen.

Funny. That sounded a lot like what drew troubled kids to the Sharing: their need to feel a 'part' or something. And they claimed we humans had belonging issues.

((You do,)) said Temrash. ((Even if you are right, my brother Yeerks want to be a part of the downfall of Beast Elfangor; your pitiful species can't figure out how to talk to one of the six billion others on this planet.))

((Oh no, it's much better to be a trumped-up glory-seeker,)) I said sarcastically.

((Better that than a host with an inferiority complex,)) Temrash returned.

((If you people have a problem with inferiority complexes, maybe you should stop creating them,)) I suggested helpfully.

I don't think Temrash had a reply to that, but he probably wouldn't have responded if he did because the good Visser chose that moment to exit his Blade Ship. All attention was, as per usual, focused entirely on him; those who didn't do so often met untimely ends.

Visser Three strolled leisurely but confidently towards Elfangor. Of course he was confidant; he was always confident. But then, why shouldn't he be? He was the leader of the thus-far successful secret invasion of Earth, he was the sixteenth most powerful Yeerk in the Empire, he had just neatly dealt with the Andalite Task Force sent to Earth, and he was moments away from vanquishing what I can only describe as his arch-nemesis. I know, I know: it sounds like something out of a comic book, but that's how it was with those two. My God, they really hated each other. Not just because they were on opposing sides, but personally hated each other. Or, at least, the Visser did. Given how much time and effort he has put into attempting to kill Elfangor, I'm pretty sure the feelings must be mutual.

They'd both tried so hard to take each other down for the past twenty years or so, from what I've heard. Mr. Chapman knows quite a bit about it, though no one is entirely sure how, least of all him. Now, after all these years, Visser Three was finally going to destroy Elfangor. Oh yes, he was enjoying this.

For his part, the Andalite seemed remarkably calm. I don't know why; it's not like there was anyone he was trying to inspire or something. We hosts would never spread around if he begged for his life or anything like that and the Yeerks would say what they would regardless. Maybe Elfangor just didn't want to give the good Visser that satisfaction. I don't know. I just don't understand aliens. They're so…alien.

((No, really?))

((Don't you have any glory-seeking of your own to do?)) I inquired politely.

((Well, well,)) Visser Three boomed. It startled me a little. I mean, the Visser was always loud (in fact, it's a popular theory that he doesn't know how to private thought-speak), but now he was deliberately broadcasting for all to hear. Showing off. I guess even big shots aren't immune from glory-seeking. Maybe especially not big shots. They had to have gotten promoted somehow, right?

((What have we here? A meddling Andalite?)) Visser Three asked, peering closely at Elfangor. Right, like he didn't know exactly who this was. ((Ah, but no ordinary Andalite Warrior. Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, if I am not mistaken. An honor to meet you.)) Yeah, like anyone bought that. ((You're a legend. How many of our fighters have you shredded? Seven, or was it eight by the time the battle ended?)) Oh please, like he didn't know it was fifteen.

Elfangor, who assuredly already knew he was a legend, didn't deign to answer, probably because he knew the Visser was being thick on purpose. Although sometimes, it is difficult to tell. On that subject, a certain unlocked door comes to mind…

((The very last Andalite in this sector of space. Yes, I'm afraid your Dome Ship has been completely destroyed. Completely. I watched as it fell into the atmosphere of this little world.))

The last Andalite. How dramatic. Except, of course, for Alloran. And any other possible survivors, those who hadn't been in the Dome – such as most of the Warriors, who had been in fighters, like Elfangor. Either way, I knew what he meant. Hope just crashed and burned.

((There will be others,)) Elfangor said. Yes, but what will prevent the outcome from being the same?

Visser Three stepped close to Elfangor. ((Yes, and when they come it will be too late. This world will be mine. My own contribution to the Yeerk Empire. Our greatest conquest. And then I'll be Visser One.))

Yes, delivering the only Class Five species to the Empire would probably earn him a promotion. Or two.

((What do you want with these Humans?)) Elfangor asked. You mean, other than to infest and control everyone lucky enough to be deemed 'worthy'? ((You have your Taxxon allies. You have your Hork-Bajir slaves. And other slaves from other worlds. Why these people?)) Again, other than the fact we're the only known Class Five species?

See, the Yeerks tend to classify all non-Yeerks into five groups. Class One were those who were deemed unfit for infestation, such as the Skirt Na because they phased. Class Two could be infested, but infested, but had a drawback. The Taxxon for their insane hunger and the Gedds for their different sized legs and dull senses for instance. Class Three were great hosts, but don't reproduce often and there aren't very many of them, which may or may not be due to a Quantum Virus. Class Four are great and plentiful hosts the Yeerks can't conquer. That, of course, is the codeword for 'Andalites.' Yeerks, with the obvious exception of the Andalite-obsessed Visser, don't like speaking about Andalites if they can help it and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Last is Class Five: us. We're the only species they've encountered that make great and plentiful hosts and can't stop them. Oh joy.

Even if the Yeerks hadn't had such solid reasons for picking us, Elfangor seemed a bit, well, too concerned. Like for some reason he wanted humanity in particular to be spared.

((That's ridiculous,)) Temrash laughed at me. ((Why would Beast Elfangor care a bit for your pitiful species?))

He could never just say humans. It was always 'your pitiful species.' Despite the fact he claimed he hated inferiority complexes, he was sure trying to give me one. Not that it had worked as of yet. I figured that if we as worthless as he would have me believe, we wouldn't be such popular hosts. Not a great thing to base your self-esteem on, but it's something, I guess.

((I don't know,)) I snapped. ((Hence, 'for some reason.'))

((Because they are so many, and they are so weak,)) Visser Three sneered.

((Maybe he just has a saving people thing. You know, like the Visser has a destroying people thing. They're like…foils.))

((Brilliant theory, human, but that doesn't explain why he would chose your pitiful species,)) he said, putting extra emphasis on the last three words just to annoy me.

((Well, Andalites don't have a mouths and we are experts in the food department,)) I said dryly.

((I think an Andalite could manage to resist the temptations of the Cinnabon.))

((Hey, you never know. At any rate, it's got to taste better than grass,)) I countered.

((Billions of bodies! And they have no idea what's happening.)) Although how the general populace's ignorance makes for better hosts eludes me. And really doesn't answer the question. They could catch most species unaware. ((With this many hosts, we can spread throughout the universe, unstoppable!)) Really now, how hard could it be to stop a bunch of garden slugs in such decidedly weak bodies? (( Billions of us. We'll have to build a thousand new Yeerk Pools just to raise Yeerks for half this number of bodies. Face it, Andalite, you have fought well and bravely. But you have lost.))

Oh, now he's pretending to have forgotten Elfangor's name? Again? Yeah, that's not fooling anyone, Visser. And considering you people have been here for eight years and only managed to build one Yeerk Pool, that's plenty of time for the Andalites to send dozens of Task Forces. I don't know whether they'll have any more success than this one, but the battle is far from over.

Visser Three moved closer still to Elfangor. If he was afraid, he masked it well, and climbed defiantly to his feet. This gallantry just seemed to annoy the valor-less Visser, who tried again to provoke him.

((I promise you one thing, Prince Elfangor – when we have this planet, with its rich harvest of bodies, we will move against the Andalite home world.)) Oh, and now he remembers him again. He should really get that random memory loss checked out. I kind of doubt that's the kind of thing Elfangor'd like to be promised, though. And it's not like everyone doesn't already know that the Yeerks'll attack the Andalites directly as soon as they possibly can. ((I will personally hunt down your family. And I will personally oversee the placement of my most faithful lieutenants in their heads. I hope that they will resist, so I can hear their minds scream.)) Again, not the kind of thing he's going to want to be promised. And if the Yeerks don't pick up the pace, then it'll be descendents of Elfangor's family that'll be infested. The good Visser may or may not still be around, who knows how long Yeerks live? Frankly, I think Visser Three intends to live forever. Now that is a scary thought. And even if Visser Three does manage to catch Elfangor's family, of course they'll resist! If they were traitors, I highly doubt Elfangor would have turned out how he did. And their current sentiments, whatever they may be, will be overridden by what's about to happen to Elfangor, I'm sure. Besides, unless the good Visser plans to personally infest them, he isn't' going to be able to hear their minds screaming as they resist the Yeerks.

The threat, though not very well thought out, seemed to work. A little too well, as it happens, for Elfangor suddenly struck the Visser. The blade was too fast to see, so fast, in fact, that it cracked like a whip as it moved through the air. Though it aimed to do so, the blow failed to decapitate him. Of course, Visser Three has probably had quite a bit of tail-fighting experience, not to mention anything Alloran learned working his way up to being a War-Prince, so that probably explains why he missed. Elfangor didn't look like he expected his weakened attempt on the Visser's life to succeed and seemed quite pleased with the damage he did do.

The blade may have missed the Visser's head by less than an inch, but it sure did a number on his shoulder and, I could see with a sort of grim satisfaction, green blood gushed from the wound. Elfangor had struck deep.

Just the same, I thought the Visser's howl of pain was a bit over the top. I mean, honestly. Had he never been injured before? Like, ever? Not to mention the example it set for the troops. Baby.

Several Taxxons near me seemed to be desperately trying to restrain themselves from attempting to eat the Visser. It'd never work, of course. The Visser really wasn't that badly wounded and could really stop screaming any time now; he was beginning to give me a headache. Not that I felt most of it, just a dull throb, but it annoyed me all the same. The Visser would have to be, like, half-dead or something not to be able to defend himself against Taxxons. They're quite ravenous, but physically unimpressive. They look like overgrown centipedes, really. Twice as long as the average adult, maybe, and…well, pretty wide. I can't place a comparison to humans because there is an obesity epidemic in this country, after all. But anyway, the bottom two-thirds of their bodies had dozens of legs, all the same size, unlike the Gedds, the top third was erect, and the legs became hands, small and lobster-like. Their heads had four eyes, which reminded me irresistibly of red Jell-O. Coincidentally, I have recently become quite fond of red Jell-O. The Taxxons could easily be wounded, even by a human like me – provided I had a pointy, object , but still – and that would effectively put them out of commissions, for therein lay the true threat of the Taxxon. It will eat anything once it's wounded, even each other, even itself, and boy do they have the means to do it. At the bottom of their heads was a round mouth ringed by hundreds of tiny teeth and pointing straight up in the air, kind of like a garbage disposal. Incidentally, I've since developed a garbage disposal phobia. Sounds silly, I know, which is why I suppose it's called a phobia, an irrational fear, but, much as I'd like to just die and get it over with, Taxxon is NOT the way to go. That would hurt far too much.

Even if the Visser were unable to defend himself, the Hork-Bajir would defend him. Not because they particularly want to keep him around (they have no job security. Or even life security, for that matter), but because allowing your boss to get eaten doesn't look good on your record. Eating your boss looks worse. Not that the Visser had to worry about the Hork-Bajir eating him. The Hork-Bajir look incredibly dangerous. They stand on two legs and have two arms, like a human, except that their wrists and elbows have blades on them, as do their knees and tail. Their heads look like of like a snake, their foreheads have two or three horns, depending on gender (males have three, females have two) and their mouths look like falcon's beaks. Despite this, I hear they eat bark and use the blades for that, perhaps. I wish I had blades. How easy it would be to kill yourself then. I don't know why the Hork-Bajir don't do it; it's not like the Yeerks have to do suicide watches, they just lock them up with us humans. Supposedly the average Hork-Bajir is about as smart as the average four-year-old thought, so perhaps it's never occurred to them. They say one Hork-Bajir in a generation is as smart as the Yeerks themselves, and I wonder if they kill themselves. I mean, on the one hand, being a Controller sucks, on the other, the smart one, the Seer, is traditionally found helping the people in a time of need. Now, for instance, is a time of incredible need. I know the Seer around when the Yeerks invaded, Dak Hamee, I believe was his name, gave the Yeerks hell when they came.

He and some Andalite girl named Aldrea. Apparently she was the good Visser's first target for Andalite infestation, but this was back when morphing was at its infancy, and so she, who, for some reason, was morph-capable, always managed to avoid getting infested. They say she and Dak got together, she stayed in Hork-Bajir morph for the two-hour limit, and became intentionally trapped, partly out of love for Dak, partly to make herself less of a target. A nothlit. Then they had a son, which they named after her father, Seerow. I'm not sure if all that's true or not, but Seerow's son, Jara, is someone I know a little. His Yeerk feeds at around the same time as mine, so I see him sometimes. He isn't very bright, but he is sweet. He doesn't know anything but slavery and instead of wishing for freedom, like I and the other humans do, he merely wants to see his kalashi – his wife, Ket Halpak. It's incredibly depressing.

Especially considering his great-grandfather Seerow was the one to go to the Yeerk home world and give them technology. I still don't get why. I mean, even if he was trying to be nice, and even if Gedd's are barely sentient, the fact still remains that they're sentient and the Yeerks enslaved them and why wasn't at all concerned? Well, that's not entirely true. Apparently Alloran was concerned and look where that got him. Seerow caused all this and Alloran tried to warn him about it and Alloran got infested while Seerow merely got blown up. Maybe be the Yeerks were grateful. And yeah, you hear quite a bit at the Yeerk Pool. No one forget how to talk and it's impossible to make small talk, so we usually talk about the war and the Visser's latest antics.

Ah, the Visser was done screaming now. And Elfangor must have sent an order to his ship, because a blinding blue light shot from the tail of it and sliced into the nearest Bug Fighter. Good for him. The Hork-Bajir and Taxxons quickly got out of the way, the Taxxons all too grateful to have something new to focus on. The Bug Fighter sizzled and glowed for a moment, then disappeared.

((Fire!)) Visser Three yelled. ((Burn his ship!)) Naturally, he couldn't be bothered to do it himself. And Elfangor really should have had his ship fire on the good Visser.

Those in the Blade Ship and the other Bug Fighters instantly complied, probably afraid Elfangor'd set his sights on them next, and the red light they shot hit the Andalite ship, which slowly disintegrated. Of course, Andalite shredders are quick, efficient, and reasonably painless. Yeerk Dracon Beams, which everyone knows are total rip-offs, cause the individual cells to burst, making for a slower, more painful death with the same amount of efforts. See why the Yeerks like them?

Through the sudden light them beams provided, I thought I saw something move behind a low, crumbling wall out of the corner eye.

((What's that?)) I asked, curious despite myself and half-hoping Temrash would look so I could tell what it was.

((Who cares?)) Temrash snapped, so not in the mood to indulge me. ((Whatever it is cannot possibly be worth missing this historic moment.))

((Yeah, well, no one likes history,)) I retorted, annoyed. What was that?

((Take the Andalite. Hold him for me,)) Visser Three commanded. Three of the Visser's guards leapt forward and held Elfangor down, holding wrist blades to his throat. I don't know why, though. It's not like they were stupid enough to kill him. Visser Three is rumored to be able to make Kandrona Starvation, which usually lasts three days, last weeks by giving said Yeerk just enough to sustain them. You'd think the Yeerk wouldn't take the offered rays, but they say Kandrona starvation is terrible. It literally causes their mind to deteriorate, so not only would they not be thinking clearly but they wanted to put it off as long as possible besides. They also say that Kandrona Starvation is terrible for the host. Yeah, I'm sure. Infestation is terrible. The death of the Yeerk is just exhausting, really. Yeah, the Yeerk'd torture you to make itself feel better and during the final four or five hours, the Fugue, you'd go through some of the Yeerk's memories, but that can happen anytime. I think that Kandrona starvation, though not fun, would be inspirational, and something that every involuntary Controller should get to experience at least once in their lifetime. Let the Yeerk be powerless for once.

((I am not going to get sentenced to starve,)) Temrash informed me matter-of-factly.

((I'd be good with decapitation, too. Or eaten. I'd almost rather be eaten. Why can't you just die?)) I asked, equally matter-of-factly.

He ignored me so I went back to my musings. The Visser was drawing this out more than I thought he would. Good God, he was seriously acting like a scorned lover or something. Everyone knows that Elfangor was there when Visser Three took Alloran and then they went on an adventure together and have been trying to kill each other with unusual ferocity ever since then. Maybe there is something to that 'Andalite-loving fool' thing after all…I wonder what the alien perspective on homosexuality is.

((It cannot produce more hosts, so we have no use for it,)) Temrash answered promptly.

((Oh, now you can hear me? And I mean Andalite perspective, seeing as how Elfangor and Alloran are both Andalites.))

((Why do you insist on referring to him as Alloran? He's been the Visser's host for a good four years before you were even born.))

((Because I hate it when people don't differentiate between you and me. Some people don't know of course, and I can't fault them that, they're lucky-))

((Though, of course, doomed,)) Temrash interrupted.

((Granted. But until then, they don't see any of this. Those who do know who think of me as 'Temrash's hosts' or, worse, you as 'Tom', that's just awful.))

((How does you calling him Alloran help at all, though? He'll never know.))

((Karma.))

((Human superstition,)) Temrash scoffed. ((And you know that.))

((I don't exactly believe in it in the true sense of the word,)) I admitted. ((I don't think that there's positive and negative energy out there and if you 'put out there' that someone's going to get cancer, that doesn't mean that they will or hold you accountable if they do, though most people will feel guilty anyway.))

((Then what do you mean?)) Temrash could easily just read my thoughts, but I suppose that got boring after awhile. ((Yes, it does, but it's still quite useful and not anything I can help.))

((Oh, then that makes it all better,)) I said sarcastically. ((And I really mean karma in the metaphorical sense. If you're nice to people, chances are they'll be nice back. If you're an ass, you can expect the same in return.))

((But you're a host; save once every three days, you don't have an opportunity to do anything,)) Temrash pointed out.

((And whose fault is that?)) I demanded. And it's really more like two days, two and a half max. Yeerks don't just die suddenly after 72 hours; they starve over a period of about half a day and no one waits that long if they can help it. ((And besides, I can't really expect other people to acknowledge my existence and that you and I aren't the same if I'm not willing to do the same for then.))

((But you'll never KNOW,)) he pressed.

((I can hope.))

While we were engaging in a semi-philosophical discussion, our dear Visser began to morph. His host's head grew much larger, his four legs became two incredibly think ones and his arms turned into tentacles. A huge mouth formed on the bloated head, with teeth as long as my arm (the better to eat you with, my dear) and a sadistic grin.

"R-r-r-r-a-a-a-w-w-w-w-g-g-g! R-r-r-r-r-r-a-a-a-a-g-g-g!" the good Visser roared, reaching out a thick tentacle and grabbing Elfangor by the neck. He lifted him up in the air, tearing off the arm of one of his guards in the process. I heard a few of the Taxxons come up behind him, but Temrash's attention was focused on Visser Three and Elfangor. The latter kept striking the Visser with his tail, but he must have known it wasn't doing much damage. The Visser held Elfangor high in the air and opened his mouth wide.

((Wait, wait…he's just going to eat him?)) I demanded.

((What would you rather he do?)) Temrash asked, surprised.

((Well, nothing, but I don't see how he can go around complaining that there's only one Andalite you guys have ever infested if he's going to go and pull stunts like this,)) I pointed out.

((Well, this is a special occasion. Beast Elfangor has done more damage to us than any other single Andalite. It's worth it,)) Temrash assured me.

((Though probably not nearly the amount of damage Visser Three does annually,)) I muttered. ((And it's not like this is an isolated occurrence! He kills every Andalite he comes across.))

((We are at war,)) Temrash reminded me.

((Because you guys want to infest them,)) I countered. ((You'd think he was TRYING to ensure that he stayed the only Andalite-Controller.))

Slowly, deliberately, the Visser dangled Elfangor closer to his mouth. He opened his gaping jaws as large as possible and lowered the still-striking Elfangor into them. It was hard to watch, though, of course, I had no choice. Temrash had my eyes opened wide in eager anticipation and was trying not to blink.

Though Temrash was right and I really couldn't tell, I got the feeling my fellow hosts were just as demoralized as I was. Then, as though sensing this, I heard one last word from the Andalite, Elfangor, before the Visser ripped apart.

((Hope…))

Hope? After all this, knowing that the Task Force had been decimated and another wouldn't be deployed for months, if not years, he still thought there was hope? Either he was optimistic to the point of foolishness (which isn't common in the military elite) or else he knew something we didn't. Not surprising, but how could it possibly be enough to even keep the pretense of hope alive?

Feeling nauseated by the sight of the Taxxons vying for pieces of Elfangor and the sound of the Yeerks laughing, I tried to focus inward. Tried to ignore the fact that, as far as anyone passing by was concerned, I was laughing, too. I could feel Temrash laughing and it was sickening.

Of course, it was unlikely that anyone would be passing by here. Still, though, I couldn't help but think back to that slight movement I'd seen earlier, behind the wall. Had someone been there or was it just an animal? If it was someone, that begged the question: Human or Andalite? If it was an Andalite, or several Andalites, then it would explain Elfangor's certainty that all was not lost. After all, Andalites, even a handful of Andalites, were better than no Andalites. But, if they were Andalites, where was their ship? I mean, I'm no expert, but Elfangor's ship was three or four times the size of our minivan and the Bug Fighters were only slightly larger than that. Bug Fighters have a crew of one Taxxon and one Hork-Bajir and Andalites are generally extremely claustrophobic, so chances are they wouldn't put two Andalites in a fighter, let alone three or more. If it wasn't an Andalite at all, but a human, well…What good would that do? Elfangor really couldn't do much more than warn them, but that wouldn't hurt the Yeerks any and would probably just end up endangering them. If they came forward, they'd get killed or, worse, infested, and if, by some miracle, they managed to tell the world, the Yeerks'd merely come out in the open and conquer Earth faster.

It made sense that it would be Andalites, that much was clear. But in that case, wouldn't he have said 'there are others' not 'there will be others'? Unless, of course, he didn't want to put the Yeerks on their guard so the Andalites would have a harder time escaping here and lose any chance at having the element of surprise. But why would the Andalites stay and watch? If there wasn't anything they thought they could do for Elfangor, why put themselves at risk? That's sentimental and stupid and nothing a warrior would be caught dead doing. They could easily acquire a morph and leave. But why didn't they do anything for Elfangor? He was pretty badly hurt, but he probably could've been coaxed through it if it weren't for the Visser showing up and eating him. Maybe if they knew the Visser was chasing Elfangor down…

((Has anyone ever told you that you think entirely too much?)) Temrash inquired innocently.

((Yeah, well, what else do I have to do? You're pretty determined that I'll never get to do anything ever again.))

((Except once every two, two and a half days during the allotted time frame,)) Temrash corrected me.

((How generous.))

((And it's probably nothing.))

Visser Three began demorphing. ((An, nothing like a good Antarean Bogg morph for…taking a bite out of your enemies,)) he hammed it up, the Yeerks obliging him as though he were Jon Stewart or something.

Suddenly, a Hork-Bajir sounded the alarm and I heard a distinctly human voice shout, "Split up! They can't follow all of us."

((I stand corrected,)) Temrash commented absently, heading off in the direction the voice had come from.

So I'd been right. But it was humans after all. Male. Young, too, from the sound of it. And…strangely enough, familiar. I didn't wonder that I couldn't place it, though. At present, my life is divided into two parts: the time I spend in the company of other Controllers and the time I don't. Right now was the former, and so I really wasn't expecting anyone free to be on the scene of Elfangor's murder.

((Not a murder. Remember: we are at war.))

((Which is why you guys murdered him. And seeing as how he was bleeding heavily already and you guys held him down and ate him, I'd have to say that it looks like murder. And a war crime, for that matter.))

((Please,)) Temrash snorted. ((Visser Three's never going to be held accountable to your pitiful country's laws.))

Hm. A variation. Not 'your pitiful species.'

((Laws differ from country to country. In Singapore, having marijuana is a capital offense.))

((I hate it when you do that! You wouldn't know that unless I knew that; don't act like you're enlightening me!))

Temrash pretended not to hear me.

I suppose I was also actively trying not to recognize the voice, because whoever it was, if I recognized it, they'd be dead so fast I don't even want to think about it. And though I wasn't sure who it was, I knew that it had to be someone I cared about and no one but Taylor – who really doesn't care about anyone but herself – would wish infestation on someone.

Whoever the voice was, though, he was wrong. Did he not see how many Hork-Bajir were out here? He's just lucky no one thought to bring along a Taxxon Tracker.

The original Hork-Bajir looked unsure which way to go.

"Come on, come on, you-" a young girl's voice shouted, followed by a long stream of obscenities.

Wow. That voice was also familiar. Whoever she was, she certainly had MY respect, being able to cuss out a Hork-Bajir like that.

Temrash headed over in the direction the second voice had come from and I faintly saw someone, presumably the girl, waving her arms around as she ran. Bold. And reckless. My new hero.

Two more Hork-Bajir took off after her and another shadowy figure. Now, I doubt they understood even half of the words she used, but they got the basic gist of it, I think.

Those two humans couldn't be the only ones, or else that girl seriously does not grasp the concept of 'splitting up.' But then, the guy had said that they could catch all of them, so if it were only two, he didn't get it either. All is not two. All is at least four or five. If there were more, they must be having an easy time getting away with these two drawing all the attention to themselves. I wondered if they knew that the Yeerks could find their friends if they infested them.

"Ghafrash! Here! Ghafrash fit! Enemy! Get Ghafrash fit nahar! I get! I kill!" someone shouted.

Okay, I get that Hork-Bajir only have a limited vocabulary, but you'd think the Yeerk at least could use some proper grammar. You know, to prove their superiority to their intelligence-challenged hosts.

Suddenly, one of the figures was down. The second didn't notice or didn't care. Or both, I suppose.

Temrash took aim and fired, but just missed, striking a concrete pipe to the left of the fallen human. I saw a flash of short brown hair before he was up and running, the two Hork-Bajir like hell-hounds on his tail.

The girl must have seen the light from the Dracon Beam for she stopped and started back towards the boy. Bad move on her part. The boy must have agreed, because he yelled at her, "Don't be an idiot! Run!"

She stood uncertain for a moment, then took off again. Meanwhile, the boy had disappeared into one of the half-finished buildings. The Hork-Bajir charged in after them. Temrash elected not to follow, presumably because Hork-Bajir can't see very well at night and so going in there after them would have gotten him – or rather, me – decapitated for sure. Coward.

((Don't call me a coward just because you have a death wish,)) Temrash said, annoyed.

((The Visser would also call you a coward and he's not suicidal. And would finally kill you if he knew,)) I pointed out.

((Then I'll just not tell him. Andalite eyes aren't that much better than human eyes in the dark.))

Innis 226, the Yeerk controlling Mr. Chapman, charged right in there after the Hork-Bajir with absolutely no concern for his own safety. He glared at Temrash as he did so, but Temrash merely shrugged.

"Elfad to tell fallay nyot fit? Whatever order," a Hork-Bajir told him as he entered.

Innis seemed to understand the mixture of languages, which is strange because no human I know can speak Hork-Bajir. "No. No need to capture them. Whoever you find, kill. Just save the head. Bring that to me and we can identify it," Innis said coldly. The funny thing is, it's not hard to imagine an assistant principal, the one in charge of disciplinary matters, saying something like that, Yeerk or no Yeerk.

((Say it. I know you're just dying to,)) Temrash told me.

((Say what?)) I asked.

((Why what he said is ridiculous and how stupid that makes him.))

((Mad he might tell the Visser you're not giving it your all to find this guy?))

((This guy that you know? Yes. Yes I am.))

((Fine. If one of the principle reasons Visser Three gave for choosing to infest us was because most people don't have a clue, it would seem that a reasonable thing to do would be not doing anything suspicious. Violently killing kids, especially by means of decapitation, seems to be contrary to that goal.))

((They'll dispose of the bodies,)) Temrash countered.

((Then they'll have a bunch of kids going missing and people searching for them and their killers. Rather conspicuous for a secret invasion. And if they kill the one guy they catch, they'll ever find the others who may or may not know anything.))

Within five minutes, the Hork-Bajir and Innis returned, triumphantly carrying a head in his hands, ignoring the blood that stained his suit. I hoped Melissa didn't see it when he went home, or else he'd be hard-pressed for an explanation and might decide it'd be easier to just take her.

If Temrash weren't there, my heart would be hammering. Then again, if Temrash weren't there I wouldn't even be in this situation in the first place, where I'm about to view a decapitated head and find out who I knew was unfortunate enough to stumble upon the Yeerk invasion.

Innis brought the head close and asked, "What do you think?"

Temrash cocked my head, considering. The man looked to be in his early sixties with long, shaggy grizzled hair with matching stubble. He had a chunk missing from his nose and hard lines on his forehead.

With a start I realized I knew who this was. Old Bob Lawrence. He'd fought in the Vietnam and been awarded a medal for valor, but hadn't been able to handle it back home, eventually leaving his wife, Nadine, to support their three children, Alton, Celeste, and Lauren. No, that wasn't right. It was Loren. His name wasn't really Bob, it was Francis, but that name seemed incredibly inappropriate for the lifestyle he'd chosen so everyone referred to him by a variation of his middle name, Robert.

My high school requires 30 hours of community service in order to graduate. My parents didn't want me to be like most kids and put it off until second semester of senior year so they made me do it as a freshman, the year before my infestation.

I volunteered (or was volunteered, to be more precise) at the local soup kitchen where Bob was a regular. He always seemed rather lonely and would arrive right when we opened and sit and watch everyone else even after he finished eating. He never said a word to anyone.

One day, though, he looked even more forlorn that usual and I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. I brought him some extra food I'd set aside as we were closing and while he ate, he kept looking at me as if he was trying to decide something.

Finally, he told me about his family. How he had loved them,. Still did, but felt like everything around him was moving too fast and he couldn't keep up and he never had anything to say anymore. He felt his inability to relate to his wife and kids was doing them more harm than good, so one day he just up and left. He knew things were hard for Nadine, but he couldn't figure out what else to do. She had died since then, but he had continued to keep watch over his children. Always watching, but never making contact.

He told me how Alton, unable to handle the intense pressure to support his mother and sisters, had gradually slipped into alcoholism and worked as a roofer, making just enough to support his drinking habit. How Celeste had moved to New York, married a well-to-do stockbroker, and turned her back on the family. How Loren, the youngest, had been happy for awhile with a husband, but when their child, Tobias, was four or so, had gotten into a severe car accident, leaving her blind and amnesiac. They brought him to her after the accident, but she was too badly damaged to adequately care for him and her husband had vanished during her pregnancy. He told me how Tobias was shuffled from coast to coast biannually. How he went from aunt to uncle, from semi-slavery to alcoholic apathy.

I asked him why he was telling me this, after keeping his silence for so long, and, tearing up, he told me that that was Tobias's eleventh birthday and he showed me a box of drawing pencils he'd managed to scrape together enough money to buy. He said he was trying to work up the courage to send it to him. I never found out if he did or not, for after that my volunteer hours came to a close and he began frequenting another soup kitchen.

And now he was dead.

"His name was Bob Lawrence. He was a vagrant. Nobody is likely to notice his disappearance, but he is not the one you were chasing," Temrash said flatly.

"Maybe if you had actually seen fit to participate in the search, Temrash…" Innis began.

"Please, spare me," Temrash interrupted. "This body can't outrun a Hork-Bajir. That human shouldn't have been able to, either."

"Well, he wouldn't have," Innis admitted. "But Hork-Bajir can't see very well in the dark, and so they thought this human," he indicated the head, "was the one they were looking for."

"That's why I didn't go in," Temrash informed his colleague.

((What is the meaning of this commotion?)) Visser Three finally stopped reveling in the glory of his triumph against Elfangor to notice several Controllers were scurrying about.

Innis licked his dry lips nervously before saying, "You see, Visser, one of the Hork-Bajir guards detected humans here."

((Did they see anything?))

"We're not sure, Visser, but we went after them to be safe."

((Did you catch them?))

"N-no, Visser," Innis stammered. "We-"

((YOU IMBECILE! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY FAIL TO APPREHEND A HANDFUL OF HUMANS?)) Visser Three thundered.

Innis flinched. "Well, you see, Visser, the guards decapitated a human they encountered-"

((If it was killed, how will we find the others?)) Visser Three asked, the voice of reason for once.

Man, I'm good.

"It…wasn't the right human anyway," Innis admitted.

((Find them! Do not let our victory over the Task Force the Andalites sent and especially over Elfangor to be marred by the exposure of our invasion!) The good Visser ordered.

((Why does he even care? I thought he wanted an end to the so-called 'soft invasion'?)) I remarked to Temrash.

((He does,)) he explained. ((But if our cover's blown like this, blame will fall on him for his somewhat careless public execution.))

I called that, too.

"Y-yes, Visser," Innis nodded hurriedly.

((I expect news of your success shortly,) Visser Three told his frightened subordinate with a definite undertone of a threat in his thought speech voice. With that, he turned and headed back to his ship, the Hork-Bajir and Taxxon quickly following suit.

As they lifted off and disappeared into the night sky, Innis breathed a sigh of relief. "You owe me for that, Temrash."

"Do I?" Temrash sounded amused. "You know the Visser was just looking for a reason to kill you tonight for your incompetence in dealing with a bunch of human children."

Innis reddened. "Be that as it may, if I had mentioned your cowardice, he would have-"

"Found his reason," Temrash finished. "Now, is there anything else? My host's parents will be expecting me soon, and we don't want to jeopardize the security of our invasion."

"No, you can go. But remember: we need to find those kids. With any luck, they didn't hear anything damning and will just think it's your typical B-Sci-Fi movie invasion. Even if they do know, it's unlikely they'll expect someone they know to be Controllers, so we should all just keep an eye out for strange behavior and question all the kids you can about it, particularly if you know that they were out tonight around area. Perhaps at the mall or have come through here before."

"Got it," Temrash nodded and head out of the construction site to where he'd parked my car. Though, of course, Temrash had driven if far more than I ever had.

He drove in silence for a few minutes, then began. ((You don't suppose Jake-))

((Don't even think about it,)) I interrupted.

((Why not?))

((It could be anyone! What are the odds that it's my little brother?))

((Well, obviously quite high if it turns out to be him…))

((But it's not!)) I protested.

((Even so, I'll have to question all the teenagers I can and, like it or not, your brother fits that description, so I'll have to question him, too.))

((Fine, but you'd better not just infest him for the hell of it,)) I warned.

((Or what?)) he asked, laughing.

((I'll think of something.))

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