AN: Wow, another chapter out, and quickly compared to the last couple. This marks the midway point of the story, there are only 8 chapters left after this one, plus an epilogue. So Enjoy and please read and review, as always!

Disclaimer: If you really want one, go back and read the other chapters, there's more than enough back there.

Chapter 10

I groaned as my senses slowing came back. I lying down on sandy soil somewhere near the ocean as the crashing of waves and the scent of salt came with the breeze. There was still a dull ache in my side but I didn't seem to be bleeding. Slowly, I pried my eyes open, taking time to adjust to the bright sunlight. The ocean was a strange purple color and the sand I was one seemed to be bright orange. We were still on the Andalite home world. I sat up, checking my side; there was a hole in my morphing outfit, but the skin beneath was unbroken; I was uninjured and human. I must have demorphed at some point. The fact that I was wearing a morphing outfit without ever remembering putting one on didn't really phase me, just another thing taken for granted.

"Jake, He's awake!" I heard Marco call from behind me as the thumping of feet on sand moved towards me. Looking over my shoulder, I could see a line of the bluish Andalite trees about 50 feet back, Marco running down towards me from them. In their shade, Ax and Jake stood, though both were now turning and moving my way. "Hey Marco, What's going on? What happened?"

He stopped, sending a small wave of sand in my direction and he slipped down into a sitting position. "We used the Time Matrix to escape from Visser 3. You were sideswiped with a dracon beam though. You managed to demorph when we landed, but went comatose on us."

I let out a little laugh, "I can't seem to stay in my right mind when we use the Time Matrix, can I?"

Marco gave me a pale grin. "Well, to be fair, you've had some good excuses."

"Hey Tobias, are you okay?" Jake had caught up to us, Ax standing a little farther back, looking fairly wary, his stalk eyes flicking along the tree line.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's Ax? Have we gotten through to him yet?" I asked, nodding in his direction. Jake's smile became a frown and he shook his head.

"Not good. He still thinks this is real, and that we are just from the future or something."

"He doesn't remember anything?" I glanced over at where Ax stood.

"Very little, bits and pieces at most and he brushes that off as overhearing us during the battle. And it's worse than that. Marco and I have noticed that the world is getting blurry. Like something in the distance, only it's getting closer and some things are just fading away. Ax doesn't notice it. And, well, look at him." I stood up and looked over at Ax, concentrating intently, trying to see what Jake was talking about. After a moment, I gasped.

"I…I can see through him. Not very much, but I can see the trees behind him." I stared at Jake.

"Yep. He's fading too. Its very gradual, probably will take several more hours, but he's almost gone. If we don't do this now, it'll be too late. Marco and I have already tried getting through to him, and we have slowed down the process, but that's all."

I nodded. "I'll try. He's like a brother to me and I'm not going to let him be absorbed."

Jake slumped down next to Marco and motioned towards Ax. "Good Luck."

I didn't answer, just walked forward until I was standing in front of Ax. "Hey Ax-man, Do you know who I am?"

He nodded. (You are Tobias. You helped save my life earlier. )

"Yes, but do you remember me? We lived in the woods on Earth together, remember?"

(I am sorry Tobias, but that is in my future I think and not yet come to pass.)

I took a deep breath. "It's not your future. It's already happened. It was your brother who gave us the morphing technology, my father. We fought the yeerks together, as Animorphs."

His eyes became hardened. (So Prince Jake has told me, but I do not believe it.)

"Believe it. Your brother gave us a fighting chance. He sacrificed his life so that we could continue fighting, and we have sacrificed just as much. Jake lost his brother; Marco nearly lost his mother, I….I lost both my humanity and my Rachel."

Ax's face lost the mask he had been wearing and looked concerned. (I am sorry for this Rachel. Is she why you lost your….Humanity? )

I shook my head. "No. I lost it long before. Watch." I closed my eyes and concentrated on the all too familiar form of the red hawk. I was struck with a sense of vertigo as I felt myself falling downward. Organs shifted the sound of bones stretching and squashing filled my ears. I could feel my fingers melting together, my toes shriveling up or becoming hard talons.

"Ew, gross. Man, why couldn't you do feathers first?" I heard Marco call out behind me.

Finally, thousands of pinpricks all across my skin announced the arrival of feathers and then the mind of the hawk burst in. I was so used to him though, that I barely noticed. Hello old friend. Opening my golden eyes I looked upward at Ax, who was staring at me. (This is why I lost my humanity. I became a nothlit trapped in this form.)

Ax just looked at me, his head crooked slightly to one side. (You were a nothlit….) His eyes began to wander, as if thinking deeply.

(That's right. You and I were outcasts, separated from the rest of our kind. We lived in the woods behind Cassie's house. You are my Shorm.)

At that last word, All of Ax's eyes focused on me intently. (Shorm? We were….are… but that cannot…it is not possible. These memories are false.) Still, the wavering in his voice betrayed his uncertainty.

Jake moved up beside me and crouched down, whispering. "He's solid again, and the reality seems to be strengthening." I just nodded. Hawk eyes can see so much more than human eyes, that I had noticed the effect almost instantly.

I demorphed as Ax held his head in his frail hands trying to comprehend what he was remembering. "Ax-man. Remember what you said to the Visser when your brother was killed today?"

He paused, and blinked at me. (Visser? You mean War Prince Alloran?)

"Yes, but in reality he was controlled by a yeerk, he was Visser 3 of the Yeerk Empire, and later Visser 1. Remember what you said to him?"

(I…I said he killed my brother.)

"Yes, but you said more than that. You said he killed your brother again."

(I…yes…I did. He did. He….killed Elfangor, didn't he? You….all of you told me. After you rescued me from the ocean…..I remember. So many battles, so much war. So many losses.) The years of memories seemed to wash over him, the heaviness of years showing in his eyes. (Tobias, Thank you.) And with that his knees buckled and he landed heavily in the sand. I leaped forward grabbing his shoulders to help keep him upright, Jake moving to his other side. (I just need to rest a moment.)

"Sure thing Ax. Take all the time you need." Jake moved over, putting his hand on my shoulder and drawing me away from Ax. "Good work, Tobias. Knew you could do it."

"You know…for so long I wished I could forget everything, go back to being normal. And then just for a moment I got my wish. It's a horrible thing taking away that burden for a short time and then throwing it back on our shoulders."

"But it's who we are."

"It's what you made us into." My voice hardened somewhat and I moved away from Jake, dropping into the sand next to Marco. I knew I'd hurt Jake, I hadn't meant to, but I couldn't address it either.

Marco opened an eye and looked towards me. "How'd it go?"

"He remembers now. He just needs some time. When he's processed everything, we'll talk to him about the One." Jake replied as he sat down on the other side of Marco.

We sat in silence after that for about 15 minutes. Finally Ax made his way over to us and sat down with us, just staring out at the ocean. After a few more minutes I couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up. "Hey Ax, I was wondering, if you are ready to talk about it, what happened? How'd you get here?"

Ax turned a stalk eye towards me but didn't say anything at first. Finally the eye focused back on the water. (We were on patrol, searching for the blade ship. We came across a very large vessel that seemed to be void of life, so we went to investigate, after finding signs that the blade ship had been there. But it was a trap. Half of my party was killed and the rest of us were taken prisoner. We were tortured for information by the yeerks for days. Finally they revealed they had aligned themselves with a being known as the One. It had been imprisoned in that ship until the Yeerks had freed it. It could absorb the memories and abilities of other beings as well as project itself into their minds. The One absorbed my crew one by one, forcing me to watch. It even extended the process so that it took many hours for each, and spread them out allowing the yeerks to torture me in-between. Then the blade ship detected another vessel moving in and so the One decided it was my turn. That's all I remember. )

"Oh, Ax-man. I'm sorry."

(It is alright Marco, you are not to blame and you have come to rescue me, for which I am very grateful, though ashamed that you too have been caught by the One.)

"Not to worry, The Ellimist is on our side, he's been giving us help."

(The Ellimist is involved?)

Quickly I explained how the Ellimist had send Rachel to help us and how the One was part of the game with the Crayak. I choked up when I reached Rachel's sacrifice though, and Jake had to take over. When he finished, Ax just nodded and stood.

(In that case, it is time to find a way out of here. How do you suggest we break from this illusion, Prince Jake?)

"Ax, don't call me prince."

(Yes Prince Jake.)

I laughed.