And now for the heartwarming conclusion of book 59!
Chapter 16
The Reliquary was Tobias' ship. I loved it. It was roomy and easy to control. It looked like someone could live in it; there was even a bathroom, a bed, and the other comforts of home.
It wasn't as big as a Blade ship but it was definitely larger than a Bug fighter. Two wicked wings extended from the egg-like cockpit. There were guns hidden all over the ship, just in case. The whole thing was painted as black as the Blade ship. Streaks of white were spread asymmetrically across the ship; camouflage in the darkness of space.
We weren't bothering with stealth now. Tobias was flying the ship to Death Valley as fast as it would go. We'd be there in a few minutes.
To fly the ship, Tobias just had to make contact with a sphere in the center of the cockpit. The ship would respond to his commands instantly.
"Okay, people, here's the drill. I'll fly in and start shooting. When we have an opening, we all drop out. The Reliquary will be waiting in orbit above us. It's keyed to my thought-speak, so it'll come when I call. We'll get in, do our business, and get out. No screwing around. Got it?"
Marco raised his hand. "What if I have to stop and use the bathroom?" Marco never could let Jake keep a mood tense; why would he be any different with Tobias?
"Marco? If I die, you're in charge. Get them out."
"You're the one with the mystery super morph," Marco muttered.
We started to morph. I went with my favorite: grizzly bear. First came the claws. My finger-and-toenails shot out till they were like knives. Muscle started to pile upon muscle. I was growing till I was seven feet tall.
My bones were like concrete. I could rip an elephant open if I wanted to; I was just that strong. The sharp teeth filled my mouth. For one glorious moment, I was a human with all the killing power of the bear.
Then the fur exploded all over my body. It shot out of my skin like hyperactive worms. My jaw bulged out to the snout of a grizzly bear. My hearing and sense of smell got better. My eyes got blurry and I became really nearsighted.
In about ten seconds, it was complete. This had been the last morph I used in my life; now I was really back. I was where I belonged, in the body that I belonged in.
I looked around at my friends. Marco was an oh so familiar gorilla. He was strong enough to pick up and throw a raging Hork-Bajir warrior; I'd seen him do it. A good animal to have on our side.
Cassie was a wolf. She was almost supernaturally fast, with jaws that could take down a moose. No humans would pose a threat to her. I bet she could dodge bullets.
Jeanne was a leopard. I'd never been one or fought one, but it looked dangerous. It reminded me a little of Jake's tiger, so I trusted her. She wasn't as strong as the tiger, but she was even faster and more agile. And I bet she had more stamina.
Alloran was his Andalite self. Maybe most people wouldn't have thought a kid Andalite was that dangerous. But he looked a lot like Ax and I knew just how deadly his tail was. Ax had saved my life more times than I could count. He once took out a crocodile all alone. I trusted Alloran's tail.
And Tobias… ((Jesus! You really should have warned us before morphing that thing.))
He was about the same size as his human body. Red and black flesh covered him. Sky blue eyes gazed at us with a deathlike glare. His pointed teeth were drawn back in a smile.
His hands had claws on the back, sort of like wolverine. His midsection was on a ball-like joint, so his torso could spin 360 degrees. He didn't look as impressive as a grizzly or a gorilla, but he was far more dangerous.
Tobias had morphed a Howler. They were a race bred by Crayak to do one thing and one thing only: to kill. Once, a Howler had fought all of us, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Ax, Tobias, and me, to a draw. We had run away from the fight; he had walked. If Tobias wanted to, he could have killed us all.
((Where did you get that?)) Marco demanded. Then, his tone got suspicious. ((What deal did you cut with Crayak?))
((No deal. When Santorelli and I got involved with the Time Matrix, someone took us to Crayak himself. Santorelli and I acquired Howlers. Now, I'm probably as dangerous as anything Esplin ever morphed.))
We were quite for a moment. Then, Tobias said to us, ((We're just about there. Get ready, this is going to be fast and bumpy.))
He and I shared a look. I knew what he was expecting; what they were all expecting. And I couldn't disappoint them.
If a bear could smile, I did. ((Let's do it!))
Chapter 17
Tobias came in low and fast. He opened fire on the base. It looked like a little circular building only one story high in the middle of the desert. We knew better.
When Tobias' Shredders hit it, the force field glowed a purplish blue. We could see the outlines of octagons. ((Fascinating,)) Alloran commented.
((What is?)) Marco asked.
((This building uses an octagonal force matrix. Most use no more than a hexagon.))
((What does that mean?)) I responded.
((This building must be designed to withstand more force than we anticipated.))
((That isn't good,)) Cassie muttered.
((Don't worry,)) Tobias told us. ((This thing's as powerful as a Dome ship; they can't possibly be expecting that kind of force.))
He was right. We soon punched several large holes in the force field. Enough that we could fly in. Tobias guided the ship through and then opened fire on the building. In less than thirty seconds, he reduced the entire top floor to rubble and glass.
A hatch opened up in the floor. Tobias dropped through and immediately made his way to the stairs. Alloran was right behind him. I was behind Alloran. Marco, Cassie, and Jeanne brought up the rear.
The Reliquary disappeared into the night sky. There were no alarms sounding; the building probably had a more sophisticated system.
Turns out that the building didn't have stairs so much as one giant ramp that spiraled around the entire place, right to the bottom. We wouldn't have to go through any other places on our way to our destination.
Unfortunately, that meant that the entire security force was waiting for us on the ramp. Overhead, we could see Gleet BioFilters every ten feet. Shredders, mounted on turrets, extended from the ceiling.
Hundreds of people were waiting for us. One third was leveling Shredders at us. Another third was morphing. The last third was made of Andalites.
((Uh…Tobias?)) Marco began.
((I know. Alloran? Morph to fly. I don't think you'll survive this any other way. I'll stall them.))
((What are you up to?)) I asked. I knew he had a plan. He might risk his life but not all of ours.
"Hello, people of Earth," he began.
A man stepped forward. He was thirty something; tall, with black hair, grey eyes, and an Italian suit. In one hand, he held a briefcase. With the other, he straightened his tie. "What are you? What do you want?"
"You first. Who are you?"
"I'm the Administrator; I am in charge of this facility. Who are you?"
"Just a concerned citizen."
A large, black guy came forward and stood next to the Administrator. "Sir? The BioFilters are prepped. Just give the order and they're all dead. Standing orders were to eliminate all threats, but with all our people here, we'll need an order from you. The BioFilter shouldn't kill any of us, but it could blind some of the ones in morph. Not how you expected to spend your first day back after your vacation, is it Sir?"
"No, it certainly isn't."
Tobias interrupted before he could give the order. "You asked what I was? I'm called a Howler. Would you like to know why?"
Then, he cut loose with the most unholy sound in the universe. His howl, tuned by Crayak himself, was designed to destroy the brains of those who heard it. I was a grizzly bear and it made me want to cry. Now I knew why Tobias wanted Alloran to morph; as an Andalite, he might have died.
My vision went red. Blood vessels broke in my eyes. Everyone in the building screamed in agony, but noting could top that howl. It took a full minute for my vision to clear.
When I could see again, I was shocked. All of the guards were lying on the floor, their hands over their ears. Some were twitching; some weren't even doing that. The Andalites had blood coming from their ears.
((Are they…?)) I trailed off.
((No, they're still alive,)) Tobias assured me. ((I can see their hearts beating. They'll live. I held back.))
Then, I saw one of them move. The Administrator. He stood up and brushed himself off. He straightened his tie and then turned to face us.
He seemed completely unharmed. "Not bad. Who am I speaking to? I see Marco, Rachel, and Cassie, but I seem to have some new faces to deal with."
((He knows who we are?)) I demanded.
((Don't react,)) Marco hissed. ((He's just guessing. He knows we've used these morphs, so he's playing it off like he knows us.))
"I don't see Jake, Tobias, or Ax. That's a new Andalite, slowly demorphing from fly. Much slower than Ax ever did. I see no hawk, so the leopard must be Tobias. So you," he said to Tobias, "must be my old friend Jake. Congratulations on the morph; it's even better than the tiger."
"Jake? You seem to be confused. Who are you?"
He laughed. It was a maniacal cackle, really. It was like something you'd see on a cartoon villain. Even Esplin was never that cliché. "What, you don't recognize me? I'm hurt. Wounded. I remembered you, after all. Even after all this time."
"Who are you?"
"Ah, big Jake. Jake the perfect leader. And Cassie; sweet, nice, moral Cassie. And Marco, the wonderfully cold jester. Tobias, the bird with the mind of a boy. And my very favorite. Rachel: Xena, warrior princess. But none of you took the time to remember me?"
I shivered. Because there was only one person who would speak to us like that. Only we Animorphs knew about Marco's nickname for me.
"Esplin," Tobias said. He figured it out, too.
Then, the Administrator cracked the most evil smile I'd ever seen. "No." Then, he demorphed.
First, he shrank. His fancy suit billowed around him like a tent. It folded over him so I couldn't see the rest of the transformation. A minute later, though, something crawled out of the suit. My heart stopped.
Chapter 18
It was a rat. I knew exactly which rat this was. ((David,)) I whispered.
((Ah, you figured it out. Surprised?))
((Not really.)) I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
David was once an Animorph. He had found the blue box that gave us our morphing power. He tried to sell it, so Visser Three tracked him down and took it. And he took David's family.
David was a hunted man. He could never go home and no one could be allowed to see him. We decided to make him one of us, so he could fight the Yeerks.
In the end, he betrayed us. He turned against us. He tried to kill us and then he tried to force us to give him the blue box. We had responded by trapping him in the morph of a rat. We left him on a deserted island and that was the end of it. We thought.
He had returned once, with Crayak's help. He wanted to trap me with him; I don't like to think about why. Crayak used it as opportunity to try to turn me into one of his tools. I resisted the temptation and beat David. Things got difficult after that.
David had begged me to kill him. He didn't want to live as a rat anymore. I didn't know what the right thing to do was. It might have been merciful to kill him, but it would still be a murder. I knew better than most that, inside of a nothlit's animal body, there was still a human mind.
I walked away and left him as a rat. I don't know if it was right or wrong, but I did it anyway. Maybe there wasn't a right decision; that's what I chose to believe anyway. I let David live. Maybe he could redeem himself in the future.
But apparently not. ((How are you here, David?)) I demanded.
((I could ask you the same question. I heard that you were dead.))
((I was. Now I'm back.))
((I did the same thing you did. I cut a deal. I was done with Crayak, of course. That didn't get me anywhere the first time. And that Ellimist character wouldn't have me; I just wasn't his speed. But then I found the one who would.))
((The One,)) Tobias said.
((Right. He made a deal of his own with someone to get me. He sent me to the Yeerks a day ago. Esplin was shocked to find me; almost as shocked as Ax was.
((They couldn't infest me, of course. Nowhere to put a Yeerk in a rat's head. And if they infested me as a human, sooner or later I'd have to demorph and the shrinking would kill the Yeerk. Instead, they made me an ally.
((This was my first assignment. Esplin wanted control of this place. Since they have all those scanners, a Controller couldn't infiltrate it. But a morph could.
((We nabbed the real Administrator when he was on vacation. He's the only one with the luxury of leaving this place; an oversight on the part of those in charge. I acquired him and, after a Yeerk who infested him gave me all the important information I needed, I came to work.))
His "voice" took on a new tone. ((I bet you think you're pretty clever, getting in here and taking out all the guards. But you've overlooked one thing. The Gleet BioFilters are keyed to my thought-speak; it was a step I took when I first got here. With one thought, I'll have you all erased from this world.
((It's kind of sad, really. All that time and now you just walk into your own death. I guess you aren't so smart after all, Jake.))
Tobias smiled. ((I wonder just how smart you really are, David. You thought to key the BioFilters to your thought-speak. But did you remember to input your own DNA into the computer? Because if you didn't, they'll fry you, too.))
((Of course I took that step.))
Privately, Tobias said, ((He's lying. I just saw his heart rate jump enormously.)) To David, he said, ((So blow us up. What's keeping you?))
((Man, I really hope you're right about this,)) Marco moaned.
((No, no. That would be too easy. Where's the fun in that? Maybe you could try begging for your lives first. That would make it more interesting. I might even decide to listen.))
((What's keeping you, David?)) Tobias asked. ((You're one rat against a Howler, a grizzly bear, an Andalite, a gorilla, a leopard, and a wolf. You'd better do it fast because we can be on you before you can twitch. And I'm hungry, David.))
David bolted. He scampered past us. Tobias swung a kick at him, but the rat dodged under an unconscious guard. Tobias threw the man aside, but David was gone.
((We won't find him,)) Tobias warned us. ((Believe me, once you lose sight of a rat, you won't find it again. Let's just get to work. I don't know what kind of backup these people have and I don't want to find out.))
Chapter 19
We made it to the room we wanted without any further incidents. The single circular wall was one giant screen. Alloran disabled the BioFilter and we went in. The door to the ramp closed behind us.
Alloran walked over to one of the control panels and placed his hand to the large, red square where a mouse might be on an old human computer. ((This might take a few minutes,)) he warned us.
It turned out that the security on the system wasn't all that advanced. It wasn't even Andalite security. I guess they were counting on their army of guards stopping any intruders.
"Why so much security over all of this?" I asked. We had demorphed except for Tobias; he would handle anything that might come up.
Marco gestured at the computer. "Do you realize how much information and power is here? A criminal, for example, could get the social security number of everyone in the world. If he took just a dollar from everyone, he'd have more than six billion dollars and hardly anyone would notice they were missing anything."
"Its more than money," Tobias said, using his Howler voice. "Watch this." He put his hand to one of those red squares. A name flashed on part of the screen. TOBIAS —— I watched as his last name changed to FANGOR. Then, his name disappeared. "Do you know what I just did?"
"What?"
"I no longer exist. At least, not as far as any records anywhere in the world are concerned. I have no social security number, no fingerprints, no DNA, no family, no home, no past; nothing. With this kind of power, Esplin could make someone disappear."
Alloran turned to us. "Everything is ready. Your new identities are prepared." From a slot in the keypad, a bunch of things started to pour out.
Birth certificates, diplomas, social security cards, driver's licenses, and all sorts of other forms of identification were fabricated in just minutes. We were whole new people without much effort.
"Now to cover our tracks," Tobias said.
Alloran went to each of our entries. He changed some things. Our fingerprints, DNA, blood types, and other vital information were swapped randomly with other people from throughout the world.
"If someone fingerprints us or checks our DNA," Tobias explained, "we don't want them to find out who we really are. Now, our fingerprints and DNA and whatnot are registered to our new identities, not our old ones. Our old lives are officially over."
"I wish," Marco grumbled.
We decided it was a good idea to get out of there, so we morphed and made for the exit. No one had any idea how long we had until some of the guards woke up and we didn't want to stick around to find out.
We weren't worried about media coverage. No one would mention this incident. After all, whoever took over here wouldn't want to report a break in to his superiors. No one would hear about what we did.
Apparently, though, someone heard. At the top of the ramp, in the rubble of the top floor, waited some people. An Andalite we all recognized. A familiar rat. An army of Kelbrid.
Kelbrid are dangerous creatures. They're more than seven feet tall from end to end. They've got a cat's legs beneath a gorilla's chest. One long arm ended in a ten-fingered hand. The other was horrible muscled, and it had a foot-long stinger at the end. Tobias warned me that the stinger was retractable. And that it was poisoned. Black, leathery flesh covered their bodies, making them blend in with the night.
Their heads reminded me of a crocodile's. They had the same flat jaws and little noses. Cats ears, swept backwards, were on the sides of their heads. Their heads were eyeless. Thin whiskers dangled from beneath their powerful jaws, probably sensing vibrations in the air to make up for having no eyes.
((Ah, it's a regular reunion,)) Esplin sighed. ((Do I see my little nephew Alloran? Are you too old to give your favorite uncle a hug?))
He turned all four eyes on me. ((And unless I am grossly mistaken, someone has come back from the dead. Hello Rachel. What brings you back here? Wasn't the shopping good enough in the afterlife?))
I shuddered. Back in the beginning, Esplin scared me. I thought I was over it. But I was wrong. He was just as scary as always. There was a soul crushing evil that came from him. Not even David gave off that aura. It was almost supernatural.
Another thing creeped me out. He was using our names, which just felt wrong. It was disgusting. I thought about poor Ax, enslaved to this monster.
He turned to Tobias. ((How many Kelbrid to you think you can fight? Not enough, I'm sure. And your howl will not be of any use here. David and I will find it very unpleasant, of course, but the Kelbrid are far too dumb to be affected. You have two options: surrender or die.))
((I guess Ax isn't helping you with your banter,)) Tobias muttered. ((Here's my counter offer. Get out of his head or I'll kill you.))
((You seem to be outnumbered,)) Esplin returned.
((I'm full of surprises.)) There was an edge to Tobias' voice and a smile on his face.
Esplin noticed it too. ((What could you possibly do? The Chee certainly couldn't help you here. And you couldn't have gotten Hork-Bajir to this valley. No, no, I'm afraid all of your resources are quite tied up. None of your old tricks are of much use here.))
((I know. I've got some new ones.))
The ground started exploding. Shredder cannon rained down from above, cutting into the Kelbrid ranks. Because of my bear eyes, I couldn't see the Reliquary as it swept over the Yeerks, but I could hear it. And I could hear Esplin barking out orders.
((Fall back to the Blade ship. We'll take them from the skies.))
((Get into the Reliquary,)) Tobias ordered us. We obeyed and then demorphed.
Tobias, demorphing as he walked, grabbed the control node. "We can take them. This thing was designed to handle the Blade ship."
"You can't fight the Blade ship and an army of Bug fighters," Marco pointed out.
"Can't I?"
I put my hand on his arm. "Tobias, I know you want Esplin and David dead, but this is too risky. Don't throw everything away on this gamble. Let's just get out of here we'll live to fight another day. There will be another chance."
"Too risky?" he said to me, raising an eyebrow. "If you say it, it has to be really insane." He turned the ship and we flew home.
Chapter 20
I was in my bedroom, probably for the last time. When this was all over, Jeanne and I might move in with my family and they'd get a bigger place.
Sara was with Jordan that night, so Jeanne and I shared my old room. Since we both kept insisting that the other take the bed, we compromised and shared it. That was the reason for the next thing we heard…
((Oh! This is too good to be true! Thank you, Ellimist or Crayak or whoever is responsible for this! I take back everything I've ever said about you.))
I shot out of bed. Jeanne did the same, a Shredder in her hand. "Marco? Where are you?" I demanded.
Tobias and Marco flew in through my open window. Tobias landed expertly on my desk; Marco crashed into the wall.
"What brings a guy like you to a place like this?" I asked, smiling. I looked over and saw that Jeanne was helping Marco up off the floor.
"I should have stuck to hiding in the bushes outside," Marco muttered.
"That was a joke?" Jeanne asked.
Marco shot a nervous glance at me. "Sure, a joke."
Tobias demorphed. "Why don't you get him some food, Jeanne? He wouldn't stop complaining the whole flight over here. It was making me hungry, too. I was about to swoop down on the first mouse I saw."
The two of them went downstairs. "Why did you bring him?" I asked.
"To distract Jeanne." Then, he kissed me.
It surprised me because Tobias wasn't the type to do that. Only when one of us almost died, and I was almost always the one who started it. Neither of us are very affectionate people.
"Did you come just for that?" I asked.
He was silent for a moment. Then, he asked me, "How did you like the Reliquary?"
"I loved it. I could live there."
"Well…would you really like to?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know what sort of living arrangements we'll have to make in our new home and I thought I might stay on the Reliquary for a bit. Marco could put the rest of you up in a nice hotel if you want it. But I was thinking maybe you wouldn't mind…"
"Moving in with you?" I finished. I thought about it. "Sure, I'm in. But we'll have to do some redecorating."
"Why?"
"It's sooo dark," I pointed out, exaggeratedly. "And you'll either need a second bed or a bigger one. And we'll have to make room for Alloran, which will take a lot of remodeling."
"Alloran?"
"He's your responsibility now," I pointed out. "He's going to live with us to."
"You, me, and a kid? Maybe I'm moving too fast."
"Too late now. We've got a lot of time we have to make up."
"Well, let's get started."
And now, to leave you with some words of wisdom from Streetlight Manifesto:
"You were gone when we found you
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of the plan
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born, and that was a good day
Someday you'll die, and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
You had a love and that love had you
And nothing mattered, you were fine
And some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of our path
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
And we all just idealize the past
So you were born, and that was a good day
Someday you'll die, and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
But we can't just get in line again"
—Somewhere in the Between
Don't miss the next installment of the Animorphs series:
60: The Offensive
How can I describe my flight back to the Reliquary? It reminded me of flying on my way to a mission to the Yeerk Pool. That isn't an exaggeration, it's just the best way to describe how abominable Rachel's cooking was. You heard what she said. Throw them into battle and hope your plan works out.
As bad as her cooking was, though, it had been something of a bonding experience between Alloran and me. After my first meal, Rachel insisted he morph to human and join us from then on. I instructed him how to act, and Rachel bought it. We grew a bit closer through deception.
One by one, Cassie, Marco, Jeanne, and I flew in through the open roof-hatch of the Reliquary. Rachel had set up some card tables. Six places were set, with steaming plates of….let's assume it was food….already waiting.
Rachel and Alloran were waiting, too. He was in his human morph. It was a combination of Marco, Jeanne, Cassie, Rachel, and me; heavy on the me. Alloran looked a lot like I did when I was his age. Of course, thanks to the others' DNA, he was much better looking.
"Good, you're all here," Rachel said brightly. "I wouldn't let Alloran eat until everyone got here."
"Poor kid," I muttered.
Marco just stared in shock. "Tobias, I didn't know Rachel came in housewife." It was a pretty good description. Rachel, uncharacteristically, was wearing sweats and an apron. Her hair was shorter than it used to be. Now, it came down to just below her ears. That was about enough to keep strangers from recognizing her. After all, she was supposed to be dead; no one would be looking for her.
Despite all of her physical changes, Rachel was still herself inside. So, predictably, she kicked him in the shin. To which he replied, "Tobias, your wife kicked me!" She kicked him in the other one.
"Marco, make up your mind. Is she my mom or is she my wife?" I baited.
He looked thoughtful. "I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that no matter what answer I give, I'll be kicked in another sensitive area."
"Guess which one," Rachel replied.
Then it was time to eat. We all sat down. Cassie and Marco, having been warned, looked to me. Alloran did so, too. Jeanne noticed what the others were doing, so she watched me as well. Rachel stared at me, too. "Well, go on. Dig in." It was almost a dare.
I did as I was told. I tried to pretend that the thing on my fork was a mouse. It wasn't hard, since it had the same general shape as a mouse and I was pretty sure it was still alive. I swallowed without chewing.
Just like that, the tension was relieved. The others, seeing that I was still alive, decided it was okay to eat. A mistake on their part. Cassie was, of course, too sensitive to say anything. Jeanne too polite. Marco too afraid. Alloran too smart. Same with me.
After a few bites of my…whatever…it was time for business. "Okay, Animorphs, we need to start planning our next move. Any suggestions?"
"Attack," Rachel said almost instantly. "We find the Yeerk pool and raid it. Show them that nowhere is safe. Not anymore."
"And now that Xena has told us to attack," Marco began, "we can talk about strategy."
"Attacking is a strategy," Rachel argued. "Think about it. We show up and hit them where they think they're safest. They don't even know we're coming. We'll scare them to death. Force and surprise, Marco. Our two greatest weapons."
"If we're going to use surprise, let's not waste it on the Yeerk pool. Isn't there a bigger target?" Jeanne asked.
"Like what?" Rachel responded.
"I may be wrong, but I read that the Yeerks must swim in the pool to absorb mostly Kandrona rays. Is this not so?"
Marco nodded. Then, he got excited. "Oh, I see it now. We use this surprise of ours to hit the Kandrona. They won't be expecting it, and it'll be a really hard blow. It's like getting sucker-punched in church."
"But how do we find it?" Cassie asked. "Last time, we needed help from the Ellimist."
They looked at me. Like I had the power to summon the Ellimist or Crayak from wherever they lived. "Can't help you guys there. Any ideas, Alloran?"
He thought about it. ((The Yeerks would certainly keep it someplace that is completely under their control. But they would not use the Yeerk Pool because if we found the Pool, which Esplin knows we certainly will eventually, we could destroy the Kandrona along with it.))
Something occurred to me. "Alloran, can the Kandrona rays move through stone?"
((I do not think so, my Prince. Kandrona waves, which are emitted by the Yeerk's sun on their homeworld, behave like light, as far as we know.))
"That means Kandrona rays can move through glass. That's probably what the Yeerks are doing. They have it in a building. It shines its waves out of the windows to the Yeerk pool," I summarized.
Marco caught on. "Which means that the rays, since they can't move through stone, have to have some way of getting into the pool. Probably through more glass."
I nodded. "Right. If we can find the place where the rays get into the pool, we can take a look at the building surrounding it. It'll be big; probably one of the biggest buildings in town. We check out the buildings until we find one that's run by the Yeerks. That'll be where the Kandrona is. We show up, take them by surprise, and smash the thing."
"Now I'm liking this plan," Rachel said. "But how do we know where the rays are getting into the pool? Wouldn't we have to find the pool first?'
"Yep. So I guess it's time for everybody's favorite past time. Controller hunting. We go out until we see someone we recognize as a Controller. We tail them until they lead us to the pool. Then, we check out the location, find where the Kandrona rays are getting in, use that to find the source, then we do some smashing."
Marco turned to Rachel. "Rachel, your husband—"
"Do you just hate your shins?"
"I'll shut up now."
Preview Summary
The Animorphs have finally arrived at the new invasion spot of the Yeerks. Now they need to plan their next move. For once, they have total surprise on their side and they intend to use it to strike a huge blow against the Yeerks.
They have a plan to find the Kandrona generator and destroy it. It'll be a terrible blow to their enemies and a great victory in the war. But when Tobias, Rachel, Alloran, Marco, Jeanne, and Cassie attack a Yeerk outpost, they meet a new foe who is far more than meets the eye… Guraff 427
