The Exposure Part 9

Rachel

My name is Rachel. And I couldn't decide if I was a furious or freaked out giant squid.

I guess a bit of both, though I think furious would have been the stronger emotion. Today had just been too much. As if all of the problems popping up during the day wasn't enough, after morphing the giant squid I almost ate Cassie, dived into the deepest part of the sea blind with a body that uses its head to swim instead of its limbs and almost faced being trapped in this weird, gross body. I gotta tell ya, that last one caused a lot of extra grief all on its own. Despite all the effort being put into rising close to it before, the lack of vision and the currents still sent us off course, to the point where we reached the point of no return. that moment where we had to rise if we didn't want to be trapped forever. David had freaked. I wanted to freak. But despite it all, we stuck it out. Irritably enough, it was all made an unnecessary issue when we found the damn ship two minutes later.

Relief and excitement had quickly replaced anxiety. We'd reached it first. We'd gotten there before the Yeerks. Getting in wasn't a problem, the Pemalites had actually installed a one digit security code. Once in, reactivating the Chee's functions was quick and easy.

But of course, that had to be deemed too easy. What happiness and relief we gained was destroyed once again a second later.

"Chee selfdestruct system activated. Are you sure you wish to do this? It will destroy all Chee within range."

/Say what?/ I cried, whatever internal system I currently had freezing. /Ax, what did you do?/

/We don't want them scrapped Andalite!/ David snapped, his tentacles twitching and tensing.

/I have don't nothing. Someone else has activated the function./

/Well deactivate it!/ Jake cried right as another system to switched on. Suddenly the walls of the entire ship went and became invisible. Heck, you'd think that the ship had totally disappeared. And of course, it gave us the perfect view of the Bug Fighters getting closer and closer. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that they could see us just fine.

/Oh, this is just perfect./ Tobias grumbled, his voice shaking with fear his moodiness couldn't hide. I know how he felt. This was about as bad as it could get. We were in plain view of the Yeerks, including Visser Three. We were about to be in for the next fight of our lives and we couldn't even morph. They'd see our true selves, our greatest secret. And without morphing, we were doomed. Our current forms were deadly in the water, but in these conditions the Hork-Bajir would slice us to pieces. Either way, we were finished.

"Hehehe, quite the pickle, wouldn't you agree?" Tensing at the cackle, I turned back to the tree that apparently acted as a control consol and would have scowled in disgust at the creature grinning away before it. Standing at the average human height was a...thing resembling a t rex from the neck down. Its face however...well it was a bit of a reptilian/humanoid mix with a very evil smile to it.

/Ok, who are you and give me a reason why we shouldn't send you off to meet your prehistoric cousins?/ David spat venomously. He beat me to it. Whoever this thing was, he was the cause of every piece of this mess. The screwed over game master. I'd love nothing more than to wring his neck too.

"Oh, big talk from the traitorous failure!" The thing snapped, his smug air dropping, if only for a moment, to return the venom and then some. "The big bad David, claiming greatness only to become a lapdog."

/He's no mere lapdog! Back off you Halloween reject!/ Jake snarled, only to get a smirk in return.

"Oh how cute, playing the big, strong protector Jakey? Big Jake, leader of the Animorphs? Have you killed your brother yet? You know that you will have to soon."

"So, who else showed up to this little shindig? You seem to be missing a few." He went on, staring down each of us. "Ah, Cassie the hypocrite. I don't believe in fighting, I'm just going to kill you. Aximili, the mighty, superior Andalite reduced to being another lapdog to a mere child of an inferior race. Elfangor must be so proud." He added, his sneering voice filled with sarcasm, before moving on. "Then there's Tobias, the misfit orphan who couldn't even handle being human. What a pathetic son of a great and heroic War Prince you turned out to be."

/Say one more thing like that again and I swear that I will shove a tentacle so far down your throat it'll be coming out of the back end!/ I screamed. My blood was boiling. How dare he! How dare he! He was slime. No one was allowed to say that about anyone I cared for, especially Tobias. Yes, he was happier as a bird, but he was far from pathetic. He was everything Elfangor would have been proud to see in his son. He was courageous, selfless, protective, kind and no one, especially this damn freak had any right to say otherwise.

"And there's my favourite Animorph." It actually had the gall to ignore everything I said! And what ticked me off even more was the fact that it was in no way even slightly put off. In fact, he looked absolutely giddy at my threat. What a despicable creep! "Brave Rachel. Violent Rachel. There's such wonderful potential in you. Although, I must admit that I'm a little disappointed. All the enormous power of that sperm whale was right within arm's reach and you let it slip away. All because you listened to the Ellimist's little pet saviour. Of course, that little speech didn't stop him from jumping at the chance of raw power. You should really ignore him, he's holding you back."

/The only thing holding me back right now is the Yeerks' eyes./ I snapped back. My anger was starting to take over now and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't rein it in. And even in that state, I could tell that was exactly what this thing wanted, enjoyed seeing. The fact that I was falling into his trap only angered me more.

"Oh, then by all means, cut loose." It cackled again, pointing a clawed finger to the ships. Curiosity getting the better of me, I turned around and just stared, stunned at the sight. A Bug Fighters had completely frozen on place. Not as in 'we stopped the engines and are slowly floating around in the current', but as in completely stopped in place. "Get it, fierce Rachel? Time has stopped. You'll be back where you started when it moves again, but right now, be my guest."

/There are only two beings I know of who have that kind of power./ Tobias commented numbly.

/Agreed. What are you creature?/ Ax demanded.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, oh so mighty and intelligent Andalite?" It cackled again with a condescending smile. "So proud of your intellect and yet you know so little. But I'll enlighten you. My race is of no importance, but my name does come from its word for wildcard. For that's what I am. I am known as the Drode, servant of Crayak."

/Crayak?/ If I wasn't stunned before, I sure was now. Not so much at the revelation, that actually made plenty of sense, but at the fact that Cassie of all people spat that out with more hate filled venom than I'd ever heard even David use! /You two have been behind everything! The Chee's malfunction, our far too conveniently clean escape from the mall, even the whale! You scumbags have tossed it off to dry land like a piece of trash with the promise of a horrible death just to get us here! That's low, even for slime balls like you!/

"Please, I'd go lower if I could." The Drode waved off, completely unphased. "And it's not like you haven't killed countless innocents to get your objectives, oh dear hypocrite. Besides, there will be no death by my hands. The rules between my master and that lousy, peace loving twit won't allow it. That whale will survive."

/That still leaves the Chee. You're killing them!/ Jake accused savagely. /You set them to selfdestruct!/

"Oh big Jake, do try using your head once in a while." Drode sneered. "They're robots, not organics. You can't kill what isn't alive."

/Well, what about us?/ I snapped, wanting nothing more than to smack that smirk right off his hideous face. /You've set us up for a guaranteed death. That has to be against the rules./

"Nope, not at all, for there is always a way out of it, as stated by the rules. Now, if you're not capable of finding it, then that's on you." Drode responded, turning his smile on me. "Does the possibility of fighting please you Rachel? Do you feel that urge you shoved down at the thought of fighting the giant squid yourself resurfacing? I think you do. I think you're keen to lay waste to the Yeerks. Actually, I think it may not be enough to satisfy you. You long to fight. Well, I think I'll leave you to it. If you survive, do me a favour and tell the Ellimist's pet that I wish him a brutal death. Maybe due to big Jake's stupidity again." He stated cheerfully, disappearing into thin air as a screaming Jake actually surged forward and threw every limb he had at him and reappearing beside me.

"I think you have too much potential to waste here Rachel." Drode whispered, his voice too low for the others to hear. "If ever you want out of this pointless battle, whenever you tire of this, Crayak would happily take you under his wing. All the power and carnage you could want would be at your fingertips. All you have to do is kill Jake. Kill the thorn in Crayak's side and be rewarded beyond your imagination." And with that, before I could even get over the shock of such a despicable offer, he walked back behind the tree and disappeared right as the Yeerks started moving again.

/That good for nothing piece of-/

/Not now David, we've got bigger problems than Drode./ Jake butted in, though he sounded like he would love nothing more than to beat the crap out of the creep. It was actually kind of scary seeing him acting like me. /Ax, can you fly this overgrown Snoopy dog?/

/I...do not believe I could./ Ax answered irritably, struggling to get the words out as he examined the consol tree. /This ship is far too strange, too different from any I've seen before. Too...advanced./ He spat. I guessed it was a salt in the wound sort of deal. The Drode had questioned his intelligence and now he was being beaten by a ship.

/Well that's just terrific./ David growled, though it completely failed to hide the nervous whimper. /Can't you at least make the walls look like walls again, so the others can morph?/

/No./ Was the short reply, Ax' irritation only getting stronger. /I have no idea how it is performed or programmed. An attempt may cause something disastrous./

/Then you and David will have to do most of the fighting./ Jake stated, never taking his eyes off the approaching ships. They'd reach the hatch at any minute now. /They already know about David. We'll help in any way we can and, I guess, hope for a miracle./

David was already demorphing before he finished talking and Ax quickly followed suit. Neither wasted any time and had returned to their true forms within two minutes, though that didn't reassure me at all. Another problem quickly became apparent when they both sagged, David almost falling to the grassy floor. We'd all been morphing a lot tonight and their energy levels were low. David would get his strength back when he morphed again, but the next transition was going to be sluggish. It may take too long. As for Ax, as usual he looked adamant about fighting as an Andalite. Normally that was fine, but in his drained state, that wasn't going to go well.

It was frustrating beyond belief, but I had to stay as I was. I couldn't reveal that we were all human, despite how much I wanted to fight at my best, despite how we were likely to lose either way. If I did and we survived, we'd be hunted down and we'd never even reach our families before they were all infested. If we died then they'd know that Marco and Warren are human and hunt them down. A lose, lose situation. In this case I had no choice. I had to let David and Ax take the lead. Provide backup instead. At least Warren will be proud of me. If he ever finds out.

The last of David's changes finished just as the ships reached the hatch, a proud lion and an alien centaur putting themselves before the four floating bubbles containing giant squids. It would have made me feel quite safe actually, if it weren't for the fact that there were eight Bug Fighters and every one was packed with Hork-Bajir, Taxxons and Visser Three himself. It would be cramped beyond belief, but you could fit at least six or seven aliens in each one.

/So what do you think Marco would say right now?/ Tobias mused, his voice strangely calm. /A dramatic 'it's been an honour to serve beside you', a comment on how we're doomed or his standard 'we're all insane' quip?/

/I'll go with the insane quip. Because I don't intend to die today./ I answered with more confidence than I had. I still had a job to do. Even if I was only backup here, I had to stay cocky, badass. The others still relied on my confidence. I wasn't showing any fear now.

There was one advantage to my current form that I was enjoying. It showed no signs of my fear. I was able to conceal every worry and doubt perfectly behind emotionless eyes and a boneless body as I watched the Yeerks fiddle with the hatch. Precious minutes were spent just doing that. It appeared that the Pemalite ship had an advanced enough security system to delay the Yeerks even with a single digit pass code. Still, I knew it wouldn't last. They'd be entering in moments.

/We still have some time./ Ax commented as calmly as his tired body would let him. /The Yeerks won't come near us until they have their entire force onboard. If we wish to make a strategy.../

/We could fill the bubbles with our ink and hide our actions./ Cassie suggested. /Seeing for ourselves would be difficult, but they'd never know when an arm or tentacle was...oh my God!/ She didn't need to explain that one, it was safe to say that we had all just had the same realisation. We could have used the ink to hide and morph! That was the way the Drode mentioned!

/Do you think we still have time?/ Tobias asked nervously, eyeing as the first Bug Fighter moved away and the second docked. Unloaded Hork-Bajir were already staring at us with malicious glee.

/It's worth a shot./ Jake exclaimed before moving a little ahead of the rest of us squids. /You three hit it. I'll stay in squid form and try to keep you covered./

/But-/

/Just do it Cassie!/ I'll admit, I was a little put off by how forcefully Jake snapped, how much like me he was acting, but I didn't have time to worry about it. Expelling all the ink that I could, I waited until the entire bubble was blackened and started to demorph.

Arms and tentacles fused together until only four shrinking limbs remained. My torso grew out from my head as it caved in on itself. My organs all returned, creating an issue out of breathing. I handled it quickly though and moved to the top of the bubble, poking my head out on the side opposite to the Yeerks. Within minutes, I was human again.

Unfortunately, that was as far as I got. Tobias managed to drop out and shook the water from his feathers, ready to fight, but there was no way that Cassie and I were going to morph in time.

/The last of the Controllers have boarded./ Ax reported grimly. I never liked it when he sounded like that. If he couldn't keep his voice calm and emotionless in the face of the enemy, then he was confident that we didn't stand much chance. /They are coming./

/Rachel, Cassie, HIDE!/ Jake shouted, curling his arms and tentacles, ready to fight.

Ok, hanging back I could handle, but being at a fight and not being able to fight? UGH! Still, I had no choice. So, cursing under my breath the whole time, I swam my way out of my bubble, which disappeared only a few moments after, grabbed Cassie's hand and ran for the far side of the room where there looked to be a small bush. Preying it was a consol and not a bathroom for the Pemalites, I dropped to my knees and crawled into it, Cassie following right behind me. We could only hope that the Yeerks had focused on the giant squid and the attack force while we were in the open.

There was no point preparing any surprise attacks, the others' actions could be seen as perfectly as we saw the Yeerks. So Jake simply swam/floated by the door, his coiling limbs a clear warning of what he intended to do, while the first row of Hork-Bajir, while scared, raised their wrist and arm blades.

/Hahaha! Just how long do you think that you'll last Andalite?/ A shiver ran through my spine as Visser Three laughed, the cold, evil air that was forever rolling off of him already starting to affect me. it was nothing on Crayak's but it still left me unnerved while I was just a vulnerable human. And he was still really dangerous, enough so to take all eight of us on on his own. /That form is not designed for combat outside the sea. You will be sliced to pieces within minutes. Demorph and surrender Andalite. That is the only way you will survive. Either way, this ship is ours./

"Morph wolf." Cassie whispered already starting to grow fur. Frowning instinctively, I was about to retort about better morphs, but quickly caught on and conceded. Our hiding place would never be able to conceal or even hold a bear or elephant. Wolf was the best we had.

The others simply stared down the Yeerks, not saying a word. Tobias circled close to the door, ready to dive at a moment's notice while Ax held his tail a little firmer and David showed off his teeth and claws. It was all show though. All the Hork-Bajir were preparing to slash and hack away and even I could see Visser Three already starting to morph himself at the back of the line. The battle would be quick. With nowhere to run, facing dozens of Hork-Bajir and the monstrosity that was only minutes away promised a massacre, even if Cassie and I joined in in time.

Which is why I never questioned the greatest miracle I'd ever seen. The door opened not a minute later and Jake lashed out with arm after tentacle successfully knocking the first wave back, but releasing a blood curdling scream as blades sunk cleanly through most of his limbs. None were unattached, but they were all still attacked badly. Ax, David and Tobias were quick to take over as Jake pulled back, tail blade, teeth, claws and talons striking out in quick succession and knocking the next wave back into the others. Jake pulled himself together and lashed out again as the others took a moment to breathe, knocking over large numbers again, though this time his screams were joined by the flopping of seven severed limbs. He had to pull back after that, but fortunately Cassie was fully morphed and ready to join the others.

But the real miracle came from outside. With Cassie's help, and mine a minute later, we managed to hold the Yeerks back for a good five minutes. And just as they managed to force us back and spread across the room, just as Visser Three entered the Bridge in the very morph I'd seen him eat Prince Elfangor in so long ago, a blur shot right through us and stopped at the Control Tree or whatever you call it.

/Nuts and bolts?/ David cried, stopping and staring incredulously as none other than Erek went wild with the controls.

"Hostility containment initiated! Oh dear." Suddenly, just as I jumped clear of another attempt to chop my head off, everyone froze. I couldn't move an inch. Fortunately, my opponent couldn't either. "What a shame to ruin such a lovely time by fighting. After all injuries are repaired, we will have to ask you to leave."

/What is this? Android, I demand you release us at once!/ Visser Three roared furiously. /Release me now or I will reduce you to a pile of scrap metal!/ Erek wasn't paying him any mind at all.

"We are sorry that things turned out so ruff." It was funny really, the computerised voice truly did sound sad. It was so real that you could actually picture a puppy looking up at you with that miserable pout they're so good at. I actually kinda felt bad. "Perhaps we could play some other time."

/Release me immediately android!/ Visser Three screeched. If he could move, I swear that he'd be throwing his arms around like a three year in a temper tantrum. /I said release me!/

"Unfortunately, that's all I can do Visser. This ship and those associated with it have no taste for prisoners and killing." Erek said calmly, never taking his eyes off of the console. Though I did see a smirk grow on his face. "However, that doesn't mean I'll let you stay here.

...

I never heard more screaming in my life than in the ten minutes that followed. As soon as Erek set the walls back to their original state and shut down the self destruct program, he used the ship's security system to ship every Controller back to the boarding dock, giving Visser Three just enough control so that he could demorph and actually fit in a Bug Fighter. He also went in and reprogrammed the Bug Fighters so that their auto pilot would take a direct course back to the Pool Ship and shut down all of their weapons and communication systems, taking the care to ensure that none of the Yeerks could override his work. The ships were basically made useless to the Yeerks forever after tonight and by the time Visser Three was in a position to do anything involving the Pemalite ship, it would be long gone.

/YOU WILL REGRET THIS! I WILL DESTROY EVERY ONE OF YOU! MARK MY WORDS, I WILL TRACK DOWN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND TEAR YOU APART!/

"That's just embarrassing." David huffed from where he'd collapsed on the grassy floor. All of us were sprawled all over the place, breathing deeply and struggling to stay awake, trying to gather the strength for one more morph. The ship was still being polite to us, but it didn't really want us sticking around any more than the Yeerks. Though Erek did set it to leave us alone so we could demorph and relax. "You'd think he'd...try to...keep some dignity."

"He has none to keep." Jake muttered from where he was a sitting cross legged, rubbing his temples. His body was sagging and he looked exhausted, but he still held the most strength between us. "And who knows, maybe his weapon of choice is giving us deadly migraines."

"If that's the case, he's winning." Cassie scrunched up her face as another string of curses and promises of death resonated through our minds. "Does anyone even know the words he's screaming now?"

"Not a clue." I grunted, rubbing my face and sighing as the constant rant finally started fading away. In a few moments, the Visser's Bug Fighter would move right out range and we'd be free.

Erek came back just as the temperamental tyrant finally left our heads alone. Though he never stopped walked back towards the tree, he looked at each of us in turn and I don't think that I'd ever seen a bigger or more relieved smile on his once again human face. "I can't tell you guys how grateful we all are. You really saved the day."

/Right back at ya Erek./ Tobias muttered, sounding as pained as he was tired. After all the power flapping he had to do in a place like this, even a short fight would take its toll on his already drained body, particularly his wings. /You just saved our lives. Thanks./

"It was nothing." Erek grinned as he finally reached the tree and got back to work. "Though it might be something next time."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow. I was kinda curious myself. That wasn't something people generally said and to have heard it come from Erek...well, he could hack into Fort Knox in a second and into the Pool Ship or even the Blade ship within minutes, so for it to be something next time...

"While you're resting up, I'm currently tracking down that crystal Jake and Marco threw into the sea. It's time for a bit of an upgrade." An amused grin spread across his face as all of us, excluding David, had our eyes bugging out and our jaws hitting the floor. Upgrade could only mean altering his programming like he did the last time we got involved with that crystal. And the results of that were monstrous and nightmare inducing, even to me. I could never imagine how horrible Erek had felt, having to live with that. I still wanted that memory erased.

/You...intend to fight again?/ Ax asked calmly, but hesitantly, though I couldn't help but notice a slight keenness to it. It made sense, Ax had no respect for a pacifist's nature. He'd much prefer the warriors the Chee could be, though even he would never want to witness the resulting carnage.

"I've never stopped fighting Ax, I just did it in my own way. And I still intend to do that." Erek answered amusedly, snickering at our faces. "I'm just giving my way more leeway."

"You listened to Warren." David stated, nodding in approval. That made everything make sense. I should have known. Erek really had no intention of truly fighting again, but Warren could convince just about anyone to take one or two steps out of their comfort zone. Look at me, I didn't go after the whale morph, didn't charge in first into any part of tonight's mission, I didn't even complain about using the weaker wolf morph and playing backup to the others instead of fighting in the thick of it as a grizzly. Now getting me to do that without complaint or argument is quite a feat. And look at Ben, before Warren sat down with him, he never said a word to anyone. Now he talked animatedly with Warren, could actually start and keep a conversation with Cassie going and was starting to warm up to a few other people too, even if I still left him nervous. If anyone could get Erek to step out of his programmed shell, it was Warren.

"The guy knows what he's talking about." Erek nodded before raising a hand toward the exit. "Now, I think it's time you guys left. Where this ship is going, I don't know if even the giant squid can take the pressure. Head to my house, all your parents think you're there anyway and Marco and Warren will be dying to hear what's happened."

There wasn't really anymore to be said after that, so with grace comparable to Frankenstein, we trudged back the way we came, morphed in carefully rising water and headed for home. By the time the humans among us made it to Erek's home, we were so far gone that we all passed out on the lawn. Thank God the others were keeping an eye out for us.


AN: Well, one more chapter and then the Exposure is done, finally. Hope you enjoyed the look into Rachel's head. See you next week.