It took hours to calm my dad down. He cried and raged and yelled at me, and I took it. I deserved it. My dad wasn't the type to yell when he was angry; he yelled when he was scared. I sympathized. His anger I could handle, but not his disappointment. Not distrust. It had been him and me against the world for almost four years. I hated to think that I had destroyed his trust in me to protect myself and my friends.
Once he sat down and let me talk to him, I told him everything. Like Cassie did with her dad, I laid it all out for him, beginning to end. I told him about the first time I saw Mom after two years of believing she was dead and learning she was a controller. Every horrible, terrifying second. I told him about the guilt, the shame of not saving her, and the despair I lived and relived every single time I got close to her and had to leave her behind. That part he understood, I'm sure.
The rest of it was still hard for him to except. He asked me to complete a morph, so he could get an idea of what it was really like. I morphed a wolf. I expected him to be grossed out, but he watched from start to finish without expression or comment. I spoke to him with thought-speak, and he asked me detailed questions. He was an engineer, after all. A scientist. His analytical brain took over at some point, allowing him to get past the strangeness of it all and become curious.
I answered him with complete truthfulness and without restraint or hesitation. Cord was right, the time for hiding everything was long past. I told him about the restrictions and the two hour time limit. He wanted to know if it was a permanent part of my physiology now, and I said that it was, as far as I could tell. Ax had never told me otherwise.
He actually cracked a joke when I told him that that weird kid named "No" I'd dragged home a couple of times was really an alien in morph. He said it explained a lot. He even chuckled a bit. I was relieved to hear that. After my mom "died," he couldn't look anyone in the eye or hold a normal conversation. He could barely string two words together, let alone make a funny. His coherency and passable wit definitely reassured me.
Eventually, we both became so tired that we began talking in circles. It was very early in the morning, and my father decided we both needed to sleep. Before we did, Dad hugged me and told me that he still loved me and he didn't blame me, that I was still just a kid and it wasn't my fault. He said there would be time for talk and decisions later. We got into bed and turned the light out. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was my father telling me he was proud of me. Until then, I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that.
The next morning, we met with the others and their parents in the mess hall. Rachel saw me first and jumped from her seat to apologize again. She even hugged me. That was a first. As Dad passed by to sit with Jake and Tom, I saw him wink and grin at me. I rolled my eyes at him, but I was surprised at how the ire I'd felt for Rachel the night before had evaporated. My father's wellness of mind in the face of all the insanity made me less angry. About everything. Having the most important person in my life know the truth made this whole impossible scenario seem more possible than it ever had. It was the first time I'd ever felt powerful in my own human body. And I liked it.
It was only after I sat down and began obliterating my eggs and toast that I noticed Sapheda in the mess hall also. She was eating the same breakfast as me, sitting with the women who had shadowed her when we first met her... God, was all that only yesterday? It felt like a thousand years ago.
They were talking and laughing. It was strange. If I didn't know Sapheda used to be an Andalite, I'd never have been able to guess. She behaved so normal. Ax was easy to make, because he could not stop himself from eating anything that wasn't nailed to the floor and playing with his words like they were a toy train set. She sat and ate carefully, following the conversation with the women the way any human would. After a moment of staring, she noticed and looked back, smiling. I gave her a nod and went back to my breakfast. I'd just gotten my own life almost figured out, I didn't need to be worrying about anyone else's.
"Sleep on the ground or something, Jake?" My dad, snapping me out of my thoughts. Jake had been quiet throughout breakfast. He looked like he hadn't slept at all, honestly.
"What?" Jake said. He'd been spaced out, staring at nothing. "Oh, no, Mr. Ruiz. Just a lot on my mind, is all." He cleared his throat significantly. "I was thinking we'd all go see Ax and Tobias after breakfast. Meet up like we used to in Cassie's barn."
Uh-oh. I knew what that meant. Something was going on. I hate it when stuff is going on. Stuff tends to be bad.
"Sure, Jake," Cassie replied in a voice too chipper for this hour of the day. She knew something was up too.
"Want to come, Tom?" Rachel asked him over her cereal. This appeared nonchalant, but the weird "something's up" vibe was coming off of her, too. What's happening? We were finally safe, why were we acting like we're about to go on another stupid mission?
"That sounds like fun," Tom said jovially. I don't think he caught the undercurrent. I wished I didn't.
I looked at Jake questioningly. He met my gaze and shook his head minutely. Great. If we couldn't discuss it in front of the folks, it was definitely something to be concerned about.
"In fact," Tom continued. "I think our parents should come with us. They should meet Ax and Tobias. There's a lot about this that they still don't understand."
Rachel and Jake shared a pointed look. Jake shifted his gaze to Cassie and she nodded ever so slightly. I was beginning to feel out of the loop, here.
"Who?" Mr. Greg said.
"They're friends who have been fighting with us for the past two years," Cassie said.
"Are they both like you?" Mr. Dan asked.
I had to laugh. "There are just so many ways to answer that question."
"The short answer is both yes and no," Jake said. He didn't elaborate. All he did was sigh. "It'll be easier to explain when you meet them."
"Where are their parents?" Mrs. Nikki asked.
We all shared a look with each other. You could almost taste the exasperation.
"One's parents are dead, and the other's parents...live far away," Rachel said obliquely.
"Real far away," I said with a snicker.
When breakfast was over, all of us, Rachel's sisters included, marched down to the Atrium. It was actually kind of nice to be back here. You could almost forget that you are miles underground with only flimsy steel and concrete separating you from thousands of tons of dirt which could come crashing down on you at any available minute.
Ah, optimism.
"Rachel, why don't you morph and find Ax and Tobias for us?" Jake asked her. She nodded and morphed.
I watched the faces of our parents closely. My dad watched curiously, and I noticed Cassie's dad did, too, but the others couldn't quite keep the revulsion from their faces. Rachel's sisters were pretty fascinated, though.
Rachel took off and was soon out of sight.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to get used to that," Ms. Naomi said.
"Hey, try not to think of it as weird," I said. "More like your kid's a superhero. Emphasis on the 'hero' part."
Ms. Naomi suddenly seemed pensive. Rachel's little sisters looked awestruck.
"Is Rachel really a superhero?" The oldest one asked me. Which one was she? Sarah or Jordan?
"Yup," I said. "Better than Batman. Better than Spiderman. Maybe not as good as Superman, though."
"Who's Spiderman?" The younger one asked.
My mouth fell open in outrage. "Who's Spiderman? What are they teaching kids in school these days?"
Jake shook his head. "Marco, really not the time."
"When is the time for the youth of our nation to learn about such iconic American heroes, then, eh?"
"Sarah is only in preschool, Marco, I doubt they're teaching 'superheroes 101.' Don't listen to him," Cassie said the the girls. "He thinks monuments should be erected in honor of the X-Men in every major city."
"Well, they should!" I shot back.
Cassie just smirked and shook her head at me.
"Maybe not all of the X-Men, though," I said thoughtfully. "Just the most pertinent ones. Like Professor X and Wolverine. And Emma Frost. Lots of statues of Emma Frost."
I thought Cassie was going to say something about my misogyny, but Jake overrode her by saying, "Look sharp. Incoming."
I looked up and saw two birds of prey winging their way toward us, a bald eagle trailed by a red-tailed hawk. I didn't see Ax, though.
The two birds landed right in front of us and began to demorph. Within minutes, two blonde teens stood before us in skin tight outfits, one dirty blond and the other slightly taller bright blonde.
"Dad, various other parentages, this is our friend and fellow freedom fighter, Tobias," I said.
Rachel held her arms out as though presenting some sort of treasure. Tobias merely nodded awkwardly. His sharp features were a little unnerving, especially as he had a tendency to stare without blinking.
"I remember you," Jake's dad said. "You came to the house a couple times, oh, ages ago. You looked...different."
I didn't doubt it. Before the change, Tobias was just a clumsy, shrimpy dweeb who walked hunched over with his head down, like he expected to be attacked. He had good reason for that, because he got beat up by bullies on a regular basis. It's kinda the only reason he hung around Jake, because Jake was a big guy and looked out for him. That and he was probably lonely. The guy's life was like a soap opera, and not even a good one with girls fighting over him. More like the ones where the main character gets orphaned and then trapped in a coma, then manages to get paralyzed and/or blinded and just can't seem to escape the despair of his own life.
Now, his human body wasn't much different, but he carried himself in a completely different manner. He stood rail-straight and walked sure-footed. He was broad-shouldered and confident. He seemed taller, but that was only because he didn't walk like a hunchback anymore. His face was a mask without expression, except for his eyes. They were always fierce and angry, regardless of what he was actually feeling. I imagined he looked rather rough to the adults, because they all took a step back whenever he took a step forward.
"I was different," Tobias said. "A lot has changed since then."
"I guess so," Mr. Greg said distantly. "What do your parents think about this?"
I groaned internally. Not the most sensitive man, was Jake's dad. You'd think a doctor wouldn't be so blunt.
Tobias simply smiled, or attempted to smile, but the result was something resembling sorrow. "My mom disappeared a few years ago, and my dad..." He stopped smiling, and the expressionless mask returned. "My father, were he still alive, would be proud of me. Prouder than he could ever say."
That left everyone pretty much speechless. Rachel took a step closer to Tobias, something that was not lost on her parents. Her mother frowned, but her father watched them reflectively.
In the awkward airlessness of that minute, we heard in our heads, ~Prince Jake, is it safe to emerge?~
All of our parents jumped except for my dad. He had heard me use thought-speak last night for almost an hour. He knew what it was. The others didn't.
"What was that?!" Mr. Greg yelled.
"That's thought-speak," My dad said. "It's how people who are in morph communicate with each other."
The other adults stared at him in a sort of horrified shock. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing.
"Just a second, Ax," Jake called loudly. He turned back to our parents. "Look," He said. "Our friend Ax is...unusual. He's an alien, the one we told you about. But he's not like Star Trek aliens. He doesn't look like humans painted blue with stuff glue to them. He's...well, see for yourself."
He walked down the incline to the treeline and seemed to talk to the shadows between the trees. After a moment or two, he turned and walked back up the incline with Ax following him. In his own body. There was a collective gasp from all of the adults behind us, mine and Cassie's dad included. Despite being a controller, I don't think Mr. Bostik had ever seen an Andalite in person, especially if he had been working for Visser One and not Visser Three.
"Wow," Mrs. Nikki said.
"No kidding," My dad said, whistling.
"Horsey!" Sarah said.
"That's not a horse, Sarah," Rachel said. "It's an Andalite."
Sarah's face said that she obviously did not see the difference. Please, please God, let her try to pet Ax. Please. Just give me that one thing.
Jake and Ax came walking up and stopped in front of our parents.
"Ax, everybody. Everybody, Ax," Jake said.
~It is a pleasure to be acquainted with all of you again, parents of my human friends,~ Ax said pleasantly.
"Again?" Echoed Jake's dad. "I think I would have remembered meeting a...whatever you are."
~I am an Andalite,~ Ax said. ~And we have indeed met before.~
"Maybe you know him as 'No,'" My dad said, giggling.
"What?" Rachel's mom said.
Tom was watching this exchange and laughing behind his hand. I was starting to like him a little more than I used to. I mean, he was always Jake's brother, and I liked him well enough before he was a controller. But now that he was himself again, I thought he was really a guy I could get along with. He enjoyed a good joke, and you can't hate a guy like that.
"Ax, just morph," Jake said wearily.
~Morph into what, Prince Jake?~ He asked.
"Human," Jake almost growled. He was on edge. I was suddenly getting the "something's up" feeling again.
Ax morphed into his human morph, the strange mixture of Cassie, Jake, Rachel, and me. I have to say, the part of him that was me was very attractive. The rest of it, not so much. Well, maybe the part that was Rachel. But that wasn't his fault.
"You!" Cassie's dad said. "You used to come to the house all the time. I always thought you were just really weird; I never thought you were an alien."
Ax looked pleased with himself. "Your children often thought that I was not assimilating properly. But even you acknowledge that I appeared human." He turned to us. "You see? I'm only really weird."
"That's not-" Mr. Bostik began, but Cassie put her hand on his shoulder.
"Just let him have that, Dad," she said with a smile.
Ax demorphed. Sarah walked up to him and he blinked down at her.
"You're a talking horsey," Sarah said with the perfect certainty of a four year old. "Rachel said you're not, but you are."
Wasn't that just adorable?
~Slight correction, human child,~ Ax said tolerantly. ~I am an Andalite, a evolved race of beings that-~
"Can I pet you?"
I laughed. For quite a long time. Sweet baby Jesus, thank you. Thank you so much.
Ax was perplexed. ~I would rather you didn't.~
"Please?"
"Sarah, he's not a pet," Rachel said reproachfully. She lifted Sarah onto her hip. "Why don't you shake his hand instead?"
Sarah made a face, but she stuck out her hand. Ax, clearly bemused, shook it. Both Mr. Dan and Ms. Naomi were watching with that 'I'm so proud of my kid' look on their face. All the parents were watching like it was the cutest thing they'd ever seen.
"Why do you have so many fingers?" Sarah asked.
Ax smiled his smile that was just his eyes. ~Why do you have so few?~
Sarah looked stumped, then shrugged. "I dunno."
"Can I shake his hand?" Jordan asked.
Ax stuck out his hand again, smiling, and Jordan shook it. I would swear I heard someone say "aww" in the background.
"Alright, this is getting too sappy for me to handle," I said. "Back to business. Ax, explain about Andalites and the war. Keep it as...succinct as possible."
Ax went off on his explanations. During which, Tobias demorphed. When asked why, we had to explain about what happened to him and the two hour time limit. All of the parents were freaked out about the possibility of one of us becoming trapped in a morph. A lot of comments were said, though they were trying to express their dismay without managing to offend Tobias. They weren't managing well.
"It's a lot to think about," Jake said. "I know. It seems like you guys were thrust into this as suddenly as we were. I'm sorry about that. At least we have more choices now."
"About that," Jake's dad said seriously. "Rachel made her choice. What about you? What about the rest of us?"
There was silence for a moment.
"I'm staying."
My dad said that. My dad.
"What?" I said to him. "You're not going to go to the settlement?"
"Of course not, Marco. I'm an engineer. Do you know how useful I could be here? You heard what Cord said; all they have is soldiers. They need engineers. And besides," He sucked in a long breath. "I want... I want to be there the moment you're mom is free. And I want to be the one who helps do it. There's nothing in the world I want more."
My throat closed up. What could I say to that?
"I'd... I'd like it if you were here, too, but I also want you to be safe. If you decide to go to the settlement, then I'll support you. If you want to stay here and fight, I'll support that, too. If you want to stay and not fight, that's even better. But whatever you decide, I'll accept it. You're a man now, whether I like it or not. More of a man than me. Whatever you want, I'm with you." His voice cracked a little. "I know your mom would be as proud of you as I am."
The only response I had to this was to walk over and give him a hug. The knowledge that I was free to make any choice I wanted took so much pressure off of me. After two years with my head underwater, I could finally breathe again.
"I'm staying, too," Tom said.
"So am I," Jake seconded.
I wasn't surprised, truthfully. Their parents faces showed, for lack of a better word, heartbreak. But what could they say? Their children had been fighting, in one way or another, longer than they cared to think about. How could they refuse them? What right did they have?
"Can we talk about this later?" Mr. Greg pleaded.
"We can," Tom said. "But it won't change our minds. We have to."
"You don't have to, Tom," His mom said. "You've finally got a choice."
"No, I don't. I stopped having a choice when they put a slug in my head."
There was nothing they could say to that. The panic in their eyes was obvious.
"We can talk about it later," Jake said. "Right now, we need to have a meeting. I mean, the seven of us kids. Not counting Sarah and Jordan."
Cassie's dad, Rachel's dad, and my dad all nodded understanding, but the other three parents were not happy at all.
"Later," Jake's mom said firmly.
They all left. Sarah was visibly disappointed and asked Ax if She could play with him later. He clearly did not know how to answer this question.
After they were safely gone, Jake scrubbed his face. "That could have gone better."
"Could have gone worse, too," Tom said. "Look on the bright side, they didn't shut us down entirely."
"I thought it went well," I said. "I can't believe my dad is so cool with all this. And you!" I said, indicating Tom. "Who'd have thought you'd be all gung-ho and want to join up? I figured you'd be ready to get out."
"Yeah, about that," Jake said, sounding like his dad. "I had an idea last night that I want to share with you guys. I want to ask your opinions. Rachel already knows and thinks it's a good idea, and I'm sure she told Cassie, but I haven't talked to anyone else, not even Tom."
Tom looked curious, and so did Ax. I think.
"I think it's a good idea, Jake," Cassie said.
"Alright, what's a good idea?" I asked.
Jake exhaled. "What do you guys think about making Tom one of us? An Animorph?"
Tom's look of shock was mirrored by myself and Ax. I'm sure Tobias would have had it on his face, too.
"What do you think, Tom?" He asked his brother anxiously.
"I..." Tom began. "I don't know what to say. I'm really honored."
"That's cool, but is it a good idea? Do you want to be one of us?" Jake said.
Tom scrubbed his hair with his hand and took several deep breaths. "I...yeah. Yeah, I really do."
"Tobias, what do you think?"
~I think, welcome to the team, Tom.~ Tobias said without hesitation.
Tom smiled. "Thanks, Tobias."
"You already know what me and Cassie think," Rachel said. Cassie nodded in agreement. Tom hugged both her and Cassie instead of thanking them.
"Ax, the Escafil device belonged to your brother. I want to know what you think." Despite saying this, Jake folded his arms and looked rather forbidding.
~What happened with David has made me cautious about creating more morphing humans. But I have always believed that we need more warriors to win this war. If you vouch for your brother's integrity, Prince Jake, I will trust your word,~ He said. ~If not for your brother, then for mine.~
Ax then turned to Tom. "But Jake is my Prince. I will not take orders from you.~
Jake opened his mouth, but Tom said quickly. "Oh, I'm not the leader, here. This is Jake's show. I'm happy to follow him." He had an uneven smirk.
Jake ducked his head gratefully. Then he looked at me. "What about you, Marco?"
I was quiet for a minute, collecting my thoughts. "Well, there's this," I started. "We got burned with David, but that wasn't our fault. Not really. We picked a bad one because we didn't have a choice. We know Tom pretty well, but being a controller will have changed him. I don't know how much of that change will be good and how much of it will be bad."
"Real nice, Marco," Rachel hissed at me.
"No, he's right," Tom said. "I used to be a good kid before this whole thing started. And now...to be honest, even I don't know who I am now. But I'd rather find out with you guys than on my own."
"Exactly," I said. "And the other point I was going to make, before Rachel interrupted me, is that he has a wealth of knowledge about the Yeerks that could be valuable to us. Which is reason enough to make him an Animorph."
"So you're saying yes?" Jake asked.
"I'm saying yes," I said. "Animorphs all the way."
Jake smiled. For the first time since Tom was free, he grinned and hugged me.
"How can we get the cube here, though?" Cassie asked. "He have to find some way to contact Erek."
We had left the cube with the Chee while Cassie was in hiding with them. It seemed like the best option. The cube didn't work on non-biological organisms, so the Chee couldn't use it. And unless the controllers found out and attempted to take it by force, which wasn't likely, no one could get to it. As long as they kept it away from the dogs, it was safe.
"Perhaps I could help," A voice said behind us. We turned and saw Sapheda walking toward us. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. I can get a message out to anyone you wish. A heavily encrypted one. Assuming your contact will be able to decipher it."
Cassie snickered. "That shouldn't be a problem. When can you get the message out?"
"Immediately. All I need to know is what to say," She said pleasantly.
"We need to get a message to some allies of ours," Jake said. He gave Sapheda the address. "Do you want to write anything down?"
Sapheda smiled. "I think I can manage. What will the message say?"
"We need them to bring us the cube," Jake said.
Sapheda stopped smiling. "Cube? As in an Escafil device?"
"Yes," Jake said. "Is that a problem?"
She looked around her, though we were alone. "I don't think this is a good place for it to be kept," She said seriously.
"Why?" Cassie said.
"Because there are many here who are desperate to get their hands on one," She replied. "They've known about morphing for a while now and will take any opportunity to find a way to appropriate it."
"They would steal the Escafil device?" Ax asked, astonished.
"They wouldn't see it as theft," Sapheda said. "In the same way that Yeerks don't see what they do as theft. They believe they would be doing the right thing for their own people."
"So you're comparing humans to Yeerks," Rachel said angrily.
"I'm not judging anyone for anything," Sapheda said. "I'm just trying to warn you. Bringing the Escafil device here is not safe for anyone. Humans are not ready for this technology."
"What about us," I said. "We've been doing fine."
"Yes, now," She said. "But were you ready when you first acquired the power?"
No one had a response for that.
"So what do we do?" Jake said.
"If you're determined to bring it here, I can keep it safe for a short time. But after that, you must find something to do with it."
"You?" Rachel said. "Why should we let you keep it?"
"Because I'm the only one who can't use it," She said simply.
~She has a point,~ Ax said.
Jake rubbed his neck. "Is there a safe way to get it into and out of the compound?"
"Yes," Sapheda said. "I helped design this place. I made several secret way in and out in case something happened or we were infiltrated. I can guarantee that one of them, at least, is not monitored."
"Why should we trust you more than Cord?" I asked.
"I'm not saying you should," She said. "Cord helped me and took me in, and he's extremely well-intentioned. He's not the one you want to to worry about. If you gave Cord a reasonable explanation as to why using the device would be a bad idea, he would reconsider. But he doesn't have any family who are controllers. Most of the other people here do, and they would do anything it takes to free their families." She looked at us all pointedly. "I mean, anything."
I could understand that sentiment, but she was right. Humans just weren't ready for this kind of power.
"This is what we do," Jake said. "Send the message. Show us the secret way out. We use the cube to make Tom one of us."
"And after that?" Cassie said.
Jake sighed. "We'll decide that when we cross that road, but for now, one thing at a time. First priority, get the cube here. All else after."
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
It took three days for Erek to get to New Mexico. He came himself because we knew him the best and he didn't trust to send it with anyone else. We got a message through Sapheda that he had arrived and she led us to the secret passage.
"It took a while to shake my guards," Sapheda said. "They're sweet girls, but they take their job way too seriously."
~It's strange that, with your powers, Cord saw fit to assign you bodyguards,~ Ax said. We were all in a lift that rose swiftly.
"He didn't," She replied. "They are two of the women I freed when I escaped from the Yeerk facility three years ago. They joined the Division before I was ever found. Once I was found and recruited, they asked to be reassigned as my personal detail. I guess they feel like they owe me something, but I'm just happy they're alive and still free."
"Who's running this place, you or Cord," I asked.
She merely laughed.
The lift stopped at a platform with steps leading up to the surface. Sapheda went up and pressed her palm against the pad next to the bay door. It opened, and we ascended to the surface. It was warm and late in the evening, and the sun was setting.
"Erek said he would be here by now," Cassie said.
"Over here," We heard a voice say. We say a large deer walk out of the treeline, which then changed into a boy about our age.
"Hey, Erek," Jake said.
"Hey guys," Erek replied. "Am I glad to see you. Do you know what a scare we got when you didn't return? And then your parents up and disappear. You kind of freaked us all out, you know." He saw Sapheda and tilted his head curiously. "Who's she?"
"That's Sapheda. She's a friend. And sorry for scaring you," Cassie said. "Our parents are here. We got found out by a group of military people that-"
"You mean the Division? Yeah, we know."
We shared a look. "How do you know about-" I started.
Erek cut me off. "Come on, Marco. There's very little that we don't know."
"Let me guess," I said. "You've got at least one person in the Division."
"Correct," Erek said.
"Why didn't you tell us about this, then?" Rachel said.
"What would you have done?" Erek asked us. "Division doesn't operate in our home town, even though there are operatives there. Most of their focus is in the east, around Washington. We didn't think they'd be working this far west."
"Let it go, Rachel, it doesn't matter now," Jake said. Rachel subsided with difficulty. "Did you bring it?"
Erek nodded and reached into his pocket. The blue box lay in his hand, glowing.
Jake stepped forward and took it from Erek's hand. Then handed it to Ax. Ax held the box out to Tom.
Tom stepped forward, hesitating.
~Place your hand on the box,~ Ax directed.
Tom did so, and the box glowed more brightly. We all felt the energy radiating off of the cube as Tom received the same power we all now had. After a moment, it dimmed, and Tom took his hand away.
Tom frowned. "I don't feel any different."
~Try to acquire something,~ Tobias instructed.
"Like what?" Tom asked.
~Hang on,~ Tobias said, and took off. After a minute or two, he returned with a field mouse. ~Try that.~
Tom caught the mouse in his hand, and looked at us, confused. "How?"
"Concentrate on it," Rachel said. "Think about absorbing the mouse into your DNA. Becoming part of you."
Tom took a deep breath and concentrated. It happened fairly quickly. The mouse stopped moving and breathed slowly.
"What's happening to it?" Tom asked.
"It's in a trance," Jake said. He was excited, eager. You could see it in his face. "It'll come out of it in a few seconds."
Sure enough, the mouse eventually recovered and squirmed out of Tom's hold.
"Now what?" He asked.
"Think about the mouse," Rachel said.
"That's it? 'Become the mouse'?"
"Essentially," Jake said. "A word to the wise, once you're morphed, the animal's instincts try to take over. Don't let it. It's going to be hard the first time, because you're not used to it. It can be pretty overwhelming. Just do the morph and come back out. No antics."
"You got it, little brother," Tom said, closing his eyes. Soon, he began to shrink. His arms sucked up into the side of his body until they were tiny and clawed. He bent over as his legs gave way and hit the ground on his stomach.
"He's doing it!" Jake said in an excited whisper.
"Don't distract him," Rachel said, also whispering.
Tom completed the morph without incident. For a moment, he stood very still.
"Tom, are you okay?" Jake asked.
Suddenly, Tom was off at a run.
"Catch him!" Jake cried frantically.
~I can't see where he went, it's too dark!~ Tobias said.
"I got him," Erek said.
"Careful not to hurt him," Sapheda said.
"Couldn't if I tried," Erek called back, his hand snaked out to snatch at the grass. He pulled himself upright, clutching a field mouse in his right hand.
"Tom," Jake said loudly. "I thought I said no antics. Morph out."
"Maybe he can't understand you," Rachel said. "Tobias, you try."
~Tom, I know it's a bit confusing, but you got to try and get a grip,~ Tobias said. "Morph out."
It took us all talking Tom out of the morph before he was able to do it, and even then it was more than an hour. Finally Tom sat in the grass with a bewildered look on his face.
"Jeez," he said in a rushed breath. "Is it always that crazy?"
"Just about," I commiserated. "At least you didn't have to morph something really hard."
"That wasn't really hard?" Tom said. Shrieked, more like.
We helped Tom his feet and our eyes fell upon the cube.
"Okay," Sapheda said. She put out her hand to Ax, and he gave her the cube. "Now what is it you want to do with this?"
Jake squinted at it in the low light. "Ax, what do you think?"
~I will respect your wishes, Prince Jake, whatever they may be,~ Ax said. "But I agree with Sapheda. This is not a technology humans are ready for.~
"Do you guys agree?" Jake asked the rest of us.
Did I? I wasn't sure. There were plenty of people I thought could handle it. But then again, it only takes one to ruin it for everyone.
~It's too dangerous,~ Tobias said. ~For it's limitations, if nothing else.~
"I agree," Cassie said. "And if we can't be sure who to trust, it's better if no one has it."
Rachel looked unsure, but she said. "They're right."
"Tom?"
Tom shook his head. "The Yeerks would kill a whole lot of people if they knew one of these things was on Earth. It's way too dangerous for anyone to have."
"What about you, Marco?" Jake asked me.
I thought about it. "Is this the only Escafil device there is?" I asked Ax.
~Of course not,~ Ax replied. ~There are approximately 150 Escafil devices in existence. There are entrusted to the highest ranking officials of the Andalite military. Civilians wishing to obtain the ability to morph must petition the official in their province.~
"So, if something happened to this one, it wouldn't shut the whole operation down," Jake said.
~No, certainly not.~
Jake stared at the cube in Sapheda's hand for a long, long moment. He then looked at me. I just nodded.
"Okay," Jake said. "Then we're agreed. We have to destroy it."