Chapter 8
Cassie
"I am going to demorph now," said Ax, his form already melting and shifting back into his Andalite body.
He sounded tense. I had expected that, actually- Andalites were very proud, and it made them uncomfortable when other alien species gained knowledge about them or their technology. The mention of a blue box had made him nervous. It had been Ax's brother, Elfangor, who had given my friends and I the power to morph, using a small blue box that allowed us to acquire another creature's DNA. And he had broken the Andalite's greatest taboo in doing so. They didn't share their technology, not ever.
Blue fur began to spread over Ax's face, and his mouth disappeared into his face. We all slowed down so he could complete the morph without worrying about keeping up with us walking. Probably for the best, because at that moment, an extra pair of legs shot out of his chest.
"So, since we decided to trust these guys, which I still say is one of the stupidest things we've ever done- YECK!"
Marco had begun to talk when Ax's spine lengthened and stretched out to form his tail suddenly. Only the tail was just bones, no skin, and had sprouted out right where Marco was about to stand. Morphing was almost never pretty to watch. Almost. Everyone said I was good at it, and I guess it was true. Even Ax agreed I had a natural talent for making it beautiful. An estreen, the Andalites called it: a person who could control the morphing process.
I think it had bothered Ax that his brother had so quickly given non-Andalites the morphing technology. Even if he never said so in quite so many words. He understood, of course- the situation had been incredibly desperate. But I knew he didn't like that I had gone and revealed secrets to even more strangers.
"Right, like I was saying- So this guy, he calls himself The Doctor," Marco began again, "Not Doctor Something. Not just Doctor. The Doctor."
With a popping noise, Ax's stalk eyes grew out of the top of his head, and the morph was complete. We walked a bit more while Marco talked, almost at the edge of the woods now.
"And I'm just wondering- at what point does someone get to just put a "The" in front of their name and call it a day? How famous to I have to be to call myself 'The Marco'."
"As your best friend, I can assure you that I will never, ever agree to call you that," said Jake.
I glanced over at his face. Beside me, Jake was smiling, and I was relieved. If he was relaxed, then maybe this wasn't such a bad mistake on my part. Ahead of us, Rachel laughed.
"That's our Marco," she said, teasingly, "You know, normal people hear about someone called the Doctor, and their first question is 'Doctor Who'?"
{'Doctor of What?' 'A Doctor, why?' even,} chuckled Tobias above us.
"I'm just saying," Marco pressed on, purposely ignoring the jokes, "The Marco has a nice ring to it. I could get used to that. When-"
{Whoa!} Tobias interrupted, {You weren't kidding, Cassie. It just appeared when I got close, like they know we're here. Well, I'm here. Up ahead in the clearing… keep walking, you should be able to see it in-}
"Oh!"
We had gotten to the top of a small hill, and suddenly, the others could all see the TARDIS. It sat, just as I remembered it, on the edge of the woods, looking as though someone had decided to put a phone booth next to a tree for no reason.
My friends stopped and stared. I watched as Tobias swooped down and landed on the light on top of the box.
{Huh,} he said, {It's really this big?}
"Nevermind the size," said Rachel, "It looks like a phone booth. Aren't those supposed to be red or something? What's the difference in color mean?"
"Different aliens come out of them," said Marco sarcastically, "You only get red ones if you're from Krypton and need a quick costume change."
{I do not understand what Marco means. Krypton is not a known planet,} said Ax.
Marco shook his head in mock sadness.
"Ax-man, we've got to introduce you to Superman sometime. Your Earth education is incomplete without knowledge of our greatest hero."
"I thought Batman was our greatest hero," Jake joked.
We had all reached the TARDIS now. Since no one came to open the door, I decided to go up and knock. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake and Rachel exchange a look. Rachel shrugged, her face clearly showing how crazy she thought I, and this whole situation, was. Honestly, it was crazy. I almost started giggling at the thought of knocking on the front door of any of the other spaceships we had seen. Ax continued his thought-speak, not at all subtle about how inelegant he thought the ship appeared.
{The design is completely impractical. I fail to see how a ship that size and shape could possible be efficient for space travel of any sort. Perhaps Cassie was misled about its abilities?}
One of the TARDIS doors opened suddenly, just wide enough for Rose to stick her head out. She smiled widely to see us all.
"You're all here! That's great! Give us just a moment, yeah?"
A loud crash echoed out from behind her, and I heard the Doctor yell something. Rose winced at the loud noise, then laughed cheerfully. Her eyes shown brightly.
"Sorry! You'd think he'd have a better sense of time and what-"
Another loud bang. I could practically feel my friends eyes staring into the back of my head, trying to see around the pair of us into the ship.
"But he never does seem to be ready on schedule," she smiled just as a loud buzzer went off.
Rose rolled her eyes, and I laughed.
"I think he's trying to show off, honestly, I'll just come-"
"Rose, can you hold this for a moment?!"
I heard the Doctor's voice shout from inside the TARDIS and another crash. Rose shrugged and rolled her eyes again, and with a grin, disappeared back into the TARDIS, pulling the door shut behind her.
"So… uh," I began, feeling a bit sheepish now that I was left alone to explain with my friends again, "That was Rose Tyler…"
"I have changed my vote," said Marco, "I think we should totally trust her. Definitely. One-hundred-percent behind trusting the adorable blonde with the English accent."
"Right," Rachel said, "Because you totally have a shot with her, Marco."
"I'm just saying I'm willing to take my chances," Marco grinned.
I would like to state that I still think this is a very bad-
Before Ax could finish his thought, the door of the TARDIS swung open again. This time, it was the Doctor.
"Right, sorry about that! Place was a bit of a mess, thought I'd tidy up a bit, and wouldn't you know it, something got loose and was running around pulling out wires. No worries now, I caught it! But I would watch your step none the less, and don't eat anything you find on the floor! Hello Cassie! Bring everyone in!"
I smiled and walked in through the doors past him. My friends weren't going to believe it until they saw it, and from my own visit, I knew the Doctor would be disappointed if I ruined the surprise. Behind me I heard Rachel mutter something about a clown car.
{I might just wait out here,} Tobias out nervously, {Red-tail hawks and confined spaces don't really mix.}
I stood inside and took a place near one of the railings, just in case the Doctor decided to try and fly again. I wanted to be able to hold on to something. I turned, and saw Jake and Marco standing in the doorway, looking dumbstruck. Jake realized he was staring, and snapped his open mouth shut.
"I think… you'll probably be okay…" he said, "Uh… we should all fit just fine…"
Rose Tyler
Rose was really starting to understand why the Doctor loved showing off the TARDIS so much. It really didn't get old, watching people see it for the first time. The stunned faces of the teenagers, two boys who looked to be about sixteen, although the one was much shorter than the other, and a blonde girl that Rose guessed must be Rachel. She did kind look like her... Both she and Rachel had almost the same haircut, but Rachel was definitely taller. Rose couldn't see much of her own face in the girl, but it was easy to see how Cassie had made the mistake from a distance. Rachel was less shocked than the boys too- More impressed than anything. She nodded as she walked in, looking up and all around her.
"Wow," Rachel said, "I mean, I know you said it was impressive Cassie, but like, wow. You weren't kidding."
"Yeah, impressive is one way to put it, Xena," the shorter boy said. His eyes were still wide as he stood in shock near the door.
"I was leaning more towards HOLY-FREAKING-CRAP myself, but you know, whatever works for you."
Rose turned to Cassie, who simply grinned and shrugged. The Doctor was grinning wildly by the controls, and waiting (remarkably patiently for him) for the rest of the Animorphs to come in. She saw his smile impossibly grow somehow even wider, and then she heard the sound of hoofs tapping on the TARDIS's metal floor and turned to see the Andalite Ax. The one who had been sick. The one Cassie had saved by performing brain surgery after they had all escaped the Yeerk Pool.
Rose had been too busy to pay attention the last time she saw an Andalite, what with the whole 'life-being-threatened' thing going on at the time, but she noticed now that it was a little strange watching someone without a mouth show such extreme emotions on their face. The look of "jaw-dropping surprise" was particularly amusing on the face of a creature that didn't appear to actually have a jaw. All four of his eyes were wide, and the ones that were on snail-like antennae on his head spun backwards, upwards, and sideways taking it all in.
"So! The TARDIS! Welcome to and all that!"
The Doctor was practically skipping. His eyes darted from face to face, taking in each of their expressions. Rose smiled and leaned back against the railings as he continued to pace about madly.
"I'm the Doctor," he said, now shaking the taller brown-haired boy's hand perhaps a bit too over-enthusiatically.
"Uh… Jake," the boy said. Jake's face looked overwhelmed, but he did stand a bit straighter and do his best to return the handshake calmly despite the Doctor's antics.
"Pleasure to meet you Jake! And you must be-"
{AAAAH!}
A voice rang out in Rose's head and she jumped as a large bird flew in through the open door of the TARDIS. Had the railing not been behind her, she probably would have fallen over. The bird's wings flapped violently as it struggled to find a place to land before swerving up into the steel rafters and grabbing hold of one.
{You guys could have WARNED ME!} the bird, Rose realized, said as it ruffled its feathers in indignation.
"Sorry man," the shorter boy said with a grin, "But we're all sort of adjusting here too. Didn't exactly think to yell, 'Bigger on the inside, but not bird-friendly!' "
"Oh! Brilliant! Are you normally a hawk?" asked the Doctor.
He had continued his way over to Rachel and was now shaking her hand, even while staring up at the disgruntled looking ("Do hawks normally look disgruntled?" thought Rose) bird.
{I guess that kind of depends on your definition of the word 'normally'} said the hawk, sounding much more relaxed now that he had settled onto a perch.
"Sorry, the Doctor doesn't always say things terribly politely," said Rose, "What he means is, is the hawk a morph, like Cassie and the elephant? Or-"
"Tobias is human," Rachel interrupted before Rose could finish, "He just got stuck that way."
"Stuck?" Rose was a little horrified. "You can get stuck?"
"Really?" the Doctor said, stopping mid-dash, his forehead wrinkling with concern.
{I kind of ended up on permanent red-tail hawk mode.}
Rose stared up at the bird, Tobias, a human… even more concerned. How do you apologize for someone getting stuck as hawk? What does a person even say to that?
"Are you alright? I mean, is there anything we can do to help?"
She would have sworn she saw the hawk Tobias shrug.
{I can still morph. Long story, but in the end, it's not actually all that bad.}
Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw Rachel frown. She sensed that maybe this was a conversation that they shouldn't have, and changed the subject.
"So you're Rachel, yeah? I already met Cassie, and you're Jake," she said, gesturing around the room, "I'm Rose Tyler, human, though not from this universe it seems."
That clearly reminded the Doctor that he still hadn't finished greeting the Animorphs, and his eyes grew wide with enthusiasm again. He darted over to Ax, but paused a moment, unsure of whether he should shake his hand or not. Andalites were built like centaurs it seemed, and they did have hands, although Rose noticed now that they definitely had more fingers than a human hand would.
"Good to see you up and about! It sounded like you had everyone worried, from what Cassie told us!"
The Doctor smiled broadly, and Ax turned all four of his eyes to look at him. Unlike the other Animorphs, his face was very serious. It seemed as though he had gotten over his shock much more quickly. That must just be because he wasn't from Earth either.
{I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, an Andalite aristh. It is unfortunate that you had to first encounter me in such a state; however, I am grateful for your aid.}
The Andalite turned the stalk eyes to look at Rose, but kept the main eyes facing the Doctor.
{It seems that you were both quite instrumental to Cassie's mission and saving my life. I am in your debt.}
His tone was so serious and flat, almost emotionless. He was young though, Rose realized. Much younger than whichever poor Andalite had been enslaved by the Yeerk Visser Three. He still had the long, vicious-looking bladed tail though…
"It was absolutely my pleasure to help, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill," the Doctor said, of course pronouncing the long name perfectly. Rose smiled.
"Honestly, Cassie helped us out a lot too. The Doctor would have had a lot of trouble finding me if it weren't for her. And she save your life with that surgery- we could have never have done something like that."
"Exactly!" said the Doctor, and Rose saw that Cassie was blushing now, "She was absolutely brilliant, couldn't have done any of it without her!"
If Cassie's skin wasn't so dark already, she'd be glowing red from all the praise. And it made Rose quite happy to see that the others, particularly Rachel and Jake, were clearly glad to see Cassie praised too. Speaking of which…
The Doctor now moved to the last of the Animorphs. The boy was clearly ready for the Doctor's exuberance at this point, and had his hand out and ready to be shaken.
"Saving the best for last, I see," he said, grinning broadly, "I'm Marco. And-" he paused, and nodded at Rose with a grin, "I am most definitely human."
Off to the side, Rachel snorted, and Rose thought she saw Jake roll his eyes as well. She laughed, but Marco continued to smile as charmingly as he could manage with the Doctor grinning in his face.
"Pleasure to me you all! Really, it's an honor. The things you're doing, bravely defending humanity! It's incredible, it really is! Absolutely, without a doubt, some of the most brilliant people I've ever met!"
The Doctor released Marco's hand now, and practically skipped back up the steps to the front of the TARDIS controls. He held his arms out wide as he turned, gesturing to the machinery all around them.
"Well, this is the TARDIS! It's my ship, and it's the best in the entire universe. Well, when it's not busy showing off and flirting with your android friend Erek. Honestly, I don't know what gets into this thing's head sometimes."
He ran his hands along the controls and then turned back to the Animorphs, who were beginning to look at him like they thought he was completely mental. Not that Rose could blame them. She did the same thing once, when she had first met the Doctor. He seemed completely unfazed by it though, and continued to chatter quickly on.
"Right! So, TARDIS- Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Best ship in the universe! I can take you anywhere and any-when you want to go. Well, normally I can. Travelling into a different universe seems to have set things a bit haywire, so time-travel's really only possible about an hour in either direction, but I'll have that sorted out soon enough. We always get her up and running eventually, right Rose? Until then, I think I can manage to help you solve this invasion problem without too much trouble. Yeerk technology is fairly impressive given what they are and all-"
For a brief moment, Rose could have sworn she saw Ax flinch and stiffen just a bit-
"-But it really is rather simple to manipulate once you figure it out. Give me a day or two and I should be able to work this all out, no trouble at all. Not a big fan of slavery and genocide, personally, so really it'll be my pleasure to get this all taken care of for you."
Now the Animorphs were definitely looking at him like he was completely mental. Rose saw the taller boy- Jake- shrug briefly before turning to look around at his friends. If the Doctor noticed, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned to smile at Rose, then flipped his sonic screwdriver his hand as he faced the stunned faces of the Animorphs again.
"Right, any questions so far?"
END OF THE ANIMORPH WHO SERIES-
PART I: TIME TO CHANGE
PART II COMING SOON
