Disclaimer: Alas! But no.

Anyways....has it really been that long since I last updated? Blame it on the MCAS and my finals. I swear, teachers just want to see us suffer. Blah.

Plus I had a headache. Which equals a writer's block. And this one was brutal. I managed to sweat this chapter out though. Still not sure how the next chaper is going to flush out. But I'll worry about it when I get there.

So, without further ado, let me present you with

Chapter Fourteen:

I sat primly on the haystacks, watching Cassie clean out the cages and remove the animals, while the Animorphs filed in.

"So," Jake said, after we got "settled down." "We learned some stuff a few days ago."

We were currently discussing what to do with the new information we had learned from our last reconnaissance. Something had to be done, we all agreed, but what?

It was a few days after we had gone into Chapman's office as flies. Jake had given me some time to rest. I spent it watching Discovery Channel.

It had also been sixteen days since I had escaped from the Yeerk pool and left Darwin behind. Time went on without regards. For anything.

I had woken up in the barn again, carried by the Animorphs in turn, through the forest. Marco complained about how much I was "putting on", but didn't say anything more after Jake and Rachel shot him glares. Rachel had grinned cockily at me, congratulating me on the escape, while Cassie just smiled gently at me, her arm on Jake's shoulder, whispering quietly to Jake, as they had their own private conversation. Ax watched, shoving some sort of food in his mouth, too obsessed with eating to even say a word, since he only nodded. The boy, I thought as I shook my head, was the brother of the acclaimed Elfangor, and was certainly a very good fighter, but give him a slice of "pie" and he'd forget it all.

And Tobias? He didn't say anything. Not that I expected him to. He was like me. We had a little moment where we suddenly flashed, and understood what the other was going through, but it was just that- a flash. It could've been a dream.

Of all the people, I hardly expected for Tobias to be the one I identified with the most. He was so quiet, so confused, I didn't think he'd be the one to hold out a hand and pull me out of that pit of despair. I'd have to repay the favor sometime.

Now, he was on the rafters, staring down at us with golden eyes. Rachel was right beneath him, marking down answers on a worksheet. The Animorphs, I found, had "homework". It was something Marco said was "the teacher's main torture weapon", Rachel threatened to do something not very nice to the next teacher who gave her another project, and Jake groaning. Tobias said he was glad he had no hands to write it, and Cassie just grimaced. All negative responses. You had to feel bad for the humans.

"We learned," Marco cut in, leaning against the wall. "that I can't go to my date on Saturday. You know how much that sucks?"

"No, we don't, and we also don't care." Rachel snapped, looking up from her work. "We got a name. I say we hunt him down and starve out the Yeerk!"

"Yeah, but that's one person." Marco pointed out. "And we can't just starve out the Yeerks of all the people. There are too many."

"Marco's right." Jake looked up from his textbook. I eyed it dubiously. It was sure to be full of mistakes. What were human teachers thinking, stuffing children's minds with false information? "Even if we take out a couple Yeerks, even the best Yeerks, they can be replaced. We need something that will put them out of commission permanently."

"And don't forget about the mutation thing." Cassie dusted off her gloves. "Or the Gleet Biofilters. How do we deal with that?"

Rachel shrugged. "How about we work on who the heck this Controller is?" She looked at Tobias. "Did you get anything from Erek?"

(Yeah.) Tobias said from the rafters. (His name is Eskar 352, right? Ax and I checked it out with Erek. Erek couldn't get much. We know his host name is Darwin. He's about Madi's age actually, and he's good at leading the mutation crew. There was mostly some speculation as to whether he could take the job or not, but he seems to be doing pretty well.)

Erek? Who was Erek? Some sort of spy?

And whether or not he could take the job? Of course he could. Eskar was not the nicest Yeerk (was there such a thing? Nice Yeerks?) but he was no fool. What did that mean, if he could take the job?

I dismissed it. They were probably wondering if he could adjust to the difference in projects. He used to be construction. Now he was on mutations. Surely that would cause some stress.

In any case, I eagerly listened for any news at all about my brother. It seemed he was doing well. At least he was alive. Hopefully, unhurt.

"Darwin?" Cassie frowned thoughtfully. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

"Doesn't ring a bell." Marco shrugged.

I froze.

I feel like I've heard that name before.

Heard that name before.

She had heard that name before. Because I had told her. On the third day of being watched.

I felt a keen pain at Cassie's words, and a new bond with Jake. "My brother..." I murmured. "He was taken, too. His name was Darwin. And there was no other like him."

(Is he still...) I heard Cassie's hesitation.

"A Controller?" I supplied. "Yes, he still is."

My blood ran cold and the hairs on the back of neck stood. I had given it away. She would know. Cassie was smart. She would know.

And I had told her. Literally handed over information that could potentially destroy me. Fool that I was, only paying attention to my own emotions. Letting them carry me away. Hadn't the Yeerks told me time after time? Don't go soft on me. How stupid could I be? How many more mistakes would I have to make before I got myself killed? If I died, it wasn't just my life on the line. It was Darwin's, too.

I could hear the distinct sounds of conversation. But I couldn't listen, much less participate. I was only aware of a sense of dread in the bottom of my stomach, sitting like a cold stone, and Cassie's look at me, boring into my back.

I couldn't look at her. I couldn't. She knew. And I knew that she knew. And she knew that I knew that she knew. And I couldn't look at her. Oh, the fool that I was! Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut? Why couldn't I use my head?

I was on the verge of panic and my instincts were on fire. Everything in me wailed, You're dead. They will know, and it will all be for nothing. Days of building up trust, of wanting to fight, of wanting a place to live, to stay, all gone because you couldn't keep quiet. Oh, they will know. They will know.

As time passed, something in me made me breath. Something in me kept me from launching myself out the door. Something in me kept the emotions from showing. And something in me reassured me.

Cassie didn't say anything. But I knew it was only a matter of time. Cassie couldn't keep secrets. She'll tell Jake, at least. And then it would be over.

No, the logical part of my mind told me. Not over yet. You have a say in this. Use your mind. Yes, use your words. And listen. Listen.

I listened. The Animorphs were still arguing over what to do. Rachel was adamant about violence. Marco wanted to slow it down and preferred slow annihilation. Jake listened, and Cassie and Tobias added morals. Aximili was interjecting with little tidbits about how this plan wouldn't work, or the weaknesses of another.

"No!" Rachel seethed. "We go down there and take down the machinery. We trash it around as much as possible, and kill a couple of Yeerks on the way out. And if they build it again, then we do it the same thing again."

"Not working." Marco shook his head. "Every time we go down, we risk capture. And that's only going to slow the Yeerks down. It won't stop them."

My mind whirred. If we attacked the pool, then the Yeerks would get killed. And their hosts. I couldn't allow that. Darwin might be down there. Actually, he probably was. He didn't need to go to school, because he wasn't even registered, and he had to work in the laboratories. I had to keep Darwin safe. At all costs. I needed to direct the Animorphs to thinking that way. Not to target the people, but the actual experiments. But how could I-

"You're missing the point." I said smoothly, persuasively. "The key aren't the people, the hosts, the Controllers. The key is the pool itself."

Chatter stopped. My voice wasn't loud, but it was heard. People backed down and stared at me. Too late, I suddenly realized, that I hadn't talked at all. And now I was participating. Slightly suspicious.

I flushed. That was a bit stupid of me. Now they'd know I was up to something.

But they didn't know what.

Or they might brush it off, dismiss it. Marco might not, and Cassie certainly wouldn't, but everyone else might buy it.

I'd play this out. I'd play it good. For Darwin.

Jake spoke. "How do you figure?"

"Yeerks only have so many resources." I explained. "Only so much time and space. We take out the people, and the Yeerks will replace them. Humans are a Class five group. And there are plenty of able Yeerks." The Andalite nodded, seeing where I was going with this. Marco raised an eyebrow.

I continued, remembering the Discover Channel special. "Earth already has a limited amount of resources. Water, oil, and other materials are 'drying out' rather quickly within the past century. Earth is speculated as to no longer support human life in the future. The Yeerk's resources also come from far away, light-years away. They have a limited amount of resources. And not enough people in power to take all of Earth's resources. This project, this Yeerk pool, is a risk they are taking. If it fails, it will be a blow, not only in spirit, but in a waste of resources. The simultaneously weak and strong point of the Yeerk pool is that all of the experiments are occurring in the pool. If we destroy the pool, we destroy the experiments. We destroy the machinery, we destroy the resources. And the Yeerks will not endeavor to build another Yeerk pool. They will maintain their current one."

(Well,) Tobias said after a moment of silence. (Now I know why Ax's T.V. was on Discovery Channel today.)

(That makes sense.) Ax agreed.

"She's got me convinced." Rachel looked happy at the thought of destruction.

Cassie looked troubled. "What about the human mutations, though? We can't destroy them. They're still human."

"We might have to kill them." Rachel shrugged casually.

Jake looked worried now. "Can we change them back?" He looked at Ax.

I already knew his answer before he said it. (Mutations are a difficult and ......delicate task. It always has been. To return genes back to their original state would require...that is to say, it would require more energy, more resources than we possess.)

Jake nodded, accepting the fact. Cassie still looked troubled. "It doesn't make it right."

Jake laced his fingers with hers. "I know. But we can't do anything about it. I'm sorry."

They shared a look. I watched, fascinated, ignoring Marco's gagging motions in the background, until Rachel cleared her throat.

"Ok." Jake said briskly. "So we'll be going in. Destroying the Yeerk pool, not the people. Madi told us the people don't matter as much as the actual resources, so we'll kill the machines and stuff, but not the actual Yeerks. No point in that."

"And how, pray tell, are we going to do that?" Marco asked, fluttering his eyelashes at Jake, with a high-pitched voice Cassie probably didn't have. Jake shoved him so he fell off the haystack, snickering.

(Easy.) Tobias answered. (We go into destruction mode. Chop up the machines, shatter the screens, and sever the production of the Gleet Biofilters. Straight in and out, no problem.)

"Watch out." Marco told Tobias. "You're starting to sound like Rachel."

(And you were trying to sound like Cassie five seconds ago.) Tobias shot back. (Sounded horrible.)

"Ok." Jake cut in. "Everyone in favor of this?"

"Why do we even bother voting when we know we're going through with it?" Marco questioned. "We're going to do it, I know it."

Rachel laughed. "And don't you love it?"

"Whatever, Xena."

We spent the rest of the discussion figuring out how and when to attack. Jake called it a day when he figured we had gone over all the possible strategies. I felt like strangling Marco for all his hypocrisy and whining. Rachel was right. Idiot boy. He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Tobias followed Rachel out, after she said her goodbyes, and Ax retired to his scoop. I noticed that Jake stayed behind with Cassie, quietly talking to her, as she finished her chores. I slipped out to give them a bit of privacy. Marco walked out after me, glaring, as he picked up his metal contraption and put a shiny covering on his head. I would've said something not particularly nice to him, but I was too busy staring at the contraption. It had two wheels, one in front, the other behind, and was painted a dark blue. It had handles in the front, and pedals along the side. How strange.

I watched as he pedaled off, wistfully wanting to try myself. Maybe I would. I could suggest it to Rachel or something. What was it called again?

I breathed a sigh of relief once Marco disappeared from view. I was safe. For now. Darwin was safe as well. I had distracted the Animorphs, helped them out, and it wouldn't cost me anything at all. All was right.

"Hey, Madi." Cassie called out. I turned, as she opened the barn doors, and walked out, dusting off her gloves. She walked until she stood next to me, behind her barn, staring up at the sky. It was getting dark, the sky turning a dark blue color in the east, the brighter colors of the sky hidden by the trees. "It's an awfully beautiful night tonight."

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the faint prickling of trouble in my gut. Cassie was probably going to talk to me about Darwin and whatnot. I had to be prepared. She'd lead me into it. She'd catch me off guard. But she'd definitely bring it up.

"Look." Cassie pointed. "That's the Little Dipper. See?" She traced the sky. I craned my head to see. "Those seven stars make a picture of a box with a sort of line going off of it. You see?"

I couldn't see it. But I could also see it as the stupidest thing I had ever heard. "I see nothing but stars. No picture. You call it the Little Dipper?"

Cassie nodded. "It's a constellation. A picture in the stars. Humans used to look up at the sky and find pictures of things by connecting stars. It's kind of hard to see it, but if you take a few steps to your right, rub your eyes and blink hard...maybe you'll see it. Take it from a human's point of view." I got the feeling she wasn't really talking about the stars.

I snorted, not moving. "Pictures? How strange. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that humans look up at clouds and try to create images out of those."

There was silence. I looked at her. "You don't really, do you?"

Cassie laughed softly. I liked her laugh. It wasn't harsh. It wasn't fake. It was...Cassie. All Cassie. "I didn't tell Jake about Darwin."

And just like that, I was startled. Even knowing that she'd take me off guard, even as prepared as I was for it, she still surprised me.

She was quiet for a moment, and then said, "You told me about him, remember?"

"I remember!" I snapped, still stung about the fact that I had been stupid enough to tell her.

I was still absorbing her earlier statement. She hadn't told anyone else. Why not? If it were me...a weakness of someone else...I'd tell. I'd use it. So why didn't she?

And then it dawned on me. Because it wasn't me. It was Cassie. And Cassie didn't play that way.

I smirked. How fortunate for me. How lucky, too.

She sighed. "You want to know why I didn't tell, right?"

"It'd be nice to know, yes."

"I figure...it's because you're entitled to your own secrets. Secrets that you should tell us, but you can't. Because it's hard to trust perfect strangers like us. It's hard to trust at all after you've gone through nine years of being a Controller. It's hard just being in this war. And because you're not ready. Not yet. We're strangers to you. We know you, but sometimes I wonder. Do we really know you at all?"

Good question. I didn't know that Cassie thought about these things.

"I don't think we do. We haven't been taking the time to take a couple steps to the right, to rub our eyes and blink hard, and look at the whole thing from your point of view. You're different from us, and if you want to keep that secret, fine. Darwin is really, only your business. Like I said, you're entitled to keep secrets. But secrets get out. So you'll have to tell us...soon. Just not now. When you feel ready. When you feel like you can trust us. Because we don't trust you. And you don't trust us. Not now, anyways."

Well, if that wasn't blunt, I don't know what wasn't.

"But I think you will. I think...you're really good. I think you know what you're doing and you're doing it. This Darwin thing will work out in the end. I trust that you know what to do when the time comes."

But I don't! I wanted to wail. I don't know what I can do if it ever does come down to me versus Darwin. I don't know.

I didn't say that though. Because we're all entitled to our own secrets. And this was my burden to bear. Cassie was pretty smart, considering.

"Jake's around the back of the house." Cassie continued. "He wants to talk to you about some stuff. Just...think about what I said, ok?"

I nodded, and started to move off. But before I did, I looked up, took a couple steps to the right, rubbed my eyes, blinked hard, and took a look from a human's point of view. "Hey, Cassie?"

"Yeah?" She asked, still scanning the sky.

"I see it. The Little Dipper. I think I see it."

She turned and smiled at me. "Great."

I think she knew. I think she knew I wasn't talking about the stars. But something bigger.

So....next chapter. Talk with Jake. And a bit more.

Sorry. This chapter was more dialogue than action. And a bit short, but that's ok. I've got a good part of the next chapter written. No worries. Till next time~

wordcrafter: Nice job! I'm kinda trying to slow down the bonding process, because I don't want all of the Animorphs to suddenly go all "best buddies" with Madi. That'd be weird. But good job on picking up on the fact that she bonds with the "loners" first. I thought the pain thing would be something she'd have in common with Tobias. And Madi has an especially soft spot for her brother. When you're completely alone and have no family or hope, you tend to reach out to whoever stretches out a hand to you, be it enemy or friend. And Darwin happened to be the only family there. I feel bad for her. :(

Ember Nickel: Long time, no see! Or hear. But anyways. I actually liked the funny parts in ch.13, compared to the others. I was not blessed with the humor in my family, only the angsty and morbidity. *wrinkles nose* So I was happy to hear that other people liked my humor. Cuz it usually sucks so much? lol. Thanks for the review!

metamorphstorm: The part with the humans uniting against pain was kinda written by itself. I didn't plan for it, interestingly enough lol. I just knew that Madi would feel great pain and bond with Tobias because of it. Not that I'm complaining, because I'm kinda happy about how it came out. But I've always loved seeing the differences between Yeerk and humans, and this is a good fic to explore that idea. :)

voodooqueen126: Marco/Madra? Interesting. I won't say more, but I will say that I've got that planned out. And about the Darwin thing, and Madi's parents? Issue arises. And the Animorphs aren't exactly happy. You can't blame them, I feel. But that's going to damage Madi. Who I just noticed I've been calling her Madi more than Madra, though that's her birth name. Hmmm. lol.