Flying above the tree tops on warm thermals is enough to put anyone in a good mood. I was in my falcon morph and Marco was an ospray. We made sure to fly at a distance in case a bird watcher happened to be looking. Two birds of pray hanging together wasn't normal by any means.
The others were also in pairs, spread out to cover more distance. This was our third time switching locations due to lack of progress. Everyone was starting to get tired, but Erek insisted the source of the black-out was somewhere.
What could it be? Why would the Yeerks assume it could take down their ships in orbit when they had plenty of defenses set up? It only caused a few seconds worth of a power-outage. Can it really be that strong?
《Jake,》came Marco's thought-speak in my head, gaining my wondering mind. 《Do you see that?》
There was nothing beneath him, so I let my falcon gaze wonder. About four miles to the southeast, I saw a flash of black running through the trees. Upon closer inspection, I made out arms pumping and legs stretching.
It was a girl close to Rachel's height and long, long black hair. She wore a skirt ( /pin/47006389836484431/?source_app=android ) and black button-up shirt with bell sleeves ( us/ls-woven-top_ #dept=tps ), black flats, and thin black tights. Since she was running away from me, so I couldn't get a look at her face.
《You mean the girl?》 I asked my friend, unsure about why he would point her out. I mean, sure, a kid running through the woods at full speed was bizarre in and of itself, but not what we were looking for at the moment.
《Not just her,》 came Marco's surprisingly serious response. 《It's what's after her.》
This piqued my interest, causing me to look behind her. About 200 yards away were two dirt bikes and an all-terrain jeep speeding as fast as they could while simultaneously maneuvering between tree trunks so as not to crash. What made it even worse was the fact that strapped to either biker's back was a Dracon Beam.
《Are they?..》 I began to ask myself, not wanting to finish the question, but already knowing the answer.
《Controllers,》 he confirmed grimly.
If I could have, I would've been chewing on my lip. I knew this very well could be a trap set up by the Yeerks to get the 'Andalite bandits' to come out of hiding. They already suspected us Animorphs of using these woods as a refuge in the past. And, considering there aren't many other places for blue-furred, stalk-eyed, four-hooved, human-scorpion aliens to hide around humans, they weren't THAT far off. Only Ax and Tobias live in the forests, but they're closer to Cassie's barn than the mountains in case of emergencies. But, then again, it could also be a lucky civilian who escaped the Yeerks' clutches and is on the run. Or, not as likely but somewhat probable, it could even be an Andalite in a human morph being targeted. If that was true, and it was caught, then the enemy would have gained not only another morph-capable host, but all the knowledge that particular alien might hold in their head, which would be a double whammy for us.
《Don't plan anything crazy over there, Jake,》 warned Marco. You see, he's not only the jokester of our little band of misfits, but he's also the skeptic, rational thinker. He assumes the worst, and makes sure we all know the dangerous possibilities that comes from every action we do.
《It could be important,》 I argued.
《Or, it's a trap,》 he stressed.
《She could need our help escaping.》
《Or help assist putting us into cages!》
《What if she's an Andalite, huh? She could have information on what we're looking for.》
《Jake, buddy, man, even EREK doesn't know what we're searching for. I doubt some random soon-to-be-prisoner will, either.》
《Maybe you're right, Marco. Maybe she IS just a human, but have you stopped to consider what would happen if we saved this one person from being a living puppet?》
He said nothing, so I took it as a opportunity to continue.
《We rescue this girl, and she goes home to her family un-infested. That's one less human-Controller we have to deal with later on, right? Now that she's free, she won't convince her parents to join the Sharing, where they would have been converted some time in the future. Her siblings also get to stay slug-free. Her friends, her parents' and siblings' friends are also out of the Yeerks' potential list of victims. That saves us a LOT more than just one life to have protected.》
Marco let out a heavy sigh that resonated inside my skull. 《So, what now, oh fearless leader?》
《Find Cassie and Rachael, then you all look for Ax and Tobias, and lead them all back here. I'm going to do what I can to keep these guys from catching the girl until you get back.》
I could practically hear the eye-roll in his words, despite thought-speech not having actual voices like normal talking does.
《Don't die.》
He flew off to do as instructed.
I mentally prepared myself for what was to come, exhaling oxygen from my avian lungs via the slits on my beak that acted as a nose.
'Alright, Jake, you got this!'
If that was true, then why was there a pit of dread lodged in my stomach?