We drove in separate cars.
The two Hork Bajir, as well as two of the other human hosts went first to pose as security, as well as the other members of the Peace Movement that were already there. An hour or so later, Floran, Driss, and I piled into a van.
I felt like I wanted to vomit.
"We're almost there. Morph now."
I looked to Floran and smiled. "See you on the other side."
{The other side of what?}
I laughed. "It's just an expression."
I morphed Yeerk, and within a few moments I was lifted up and I crawled inside Floran's ear.
I wrapped around his brain and practiced a few motions with his, now human, arms and legs. Getting the hang of it.
"Here we are." I heard Driss say. "It's showtime."
The doors opened up and I stepped out. The Sharing had recently bought this old building and were renovating it... at least that's how it appeared. But inside was their unlimite weapon. No one even gave us a second glance. And why should they? We're well known, well respected controllers, right? As far as they know...
We headed for the main doors...
{Floran?} I focused my thoughts to him.
{Yes? What is it?}
{I'm sorry, I just remembered that I never did take you back and buy you some more lemon squares.}
I felt his brain send out signals to his body, my Yeerk body intersected them, but if he had been able, I knew he would have laughed.
{It is unfortunate. Perhaps next time.}
{Sounds good to me.}
But we both knew the truth. I could see it in his thoughts.
We both knew there would be no next time.
Now inside the building, I could see controllers going about their business. I followed Driss, while trying to look like I WASN'T following Driss. Like we just happened to be going the same direction. I didn't see the others, perhaps they were already further in?
We went down a hall and found the room I'd been told about. There was a drop shaft here that lead down, and from there it was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from where they were keeping the device.
"You know..." I said. "I think this plan is actually going to work!"
Driss smirked. "What? Were you doubting my plan?"
I shook Floran's head. "No. Just you."
He punched me in the arm, laughing a little (Eli's doing maybe?). "We're almost there. Get ready to come out and demorph."
We went through the drop shaft. The Air sucking us down for what seemed like several minutes.
We landed below, I didn't see anyone. "How about now?" I asked.
He looked around... before nodding. "Yeah. We're almost to the teleport."
I released Floran's brain and crawled out of his head. Then, after being placed on the ground, I demorphed.
My eyes slowly formed, and I saw Floran as his old Andalite self. I smiled and-
{Well, well. If I hadn't seen it for myself... I wouldn't have believed it.}
Thought-speak! But it wasn't Floran, the voice was different!
I looked to Driss, I saw terror in Eli's face, then to Flo... and he was worse then Driss...
Suddenly, lights! The room was flooded with lights, and from every direction in stormed Hork Bajir, Taxxon, and human controllers! There were dozens of them! It was a small army! They pointed their weapons at us, and from the crowd came another alien... An Andalite.
He was different then Floran. His fur was a dark, almost metallic blue, and his face held held a sneer that made me feel small, insignificant, like I was nothing but a bug to be stepped on. He was larger then Floran. He wasn't huge, but his presence made it feel like he was a giant to me.
"Visser...!" I heard Driss whisper, the terror in his voice made it so much worse.
This was Visser Three...
He eyed Floran and Driss with his stalk eyes, but his main eyes were on me.
{The rumor is true. I had never thought that any Andalite could be so pathetically desperate as to share it's great morphing technology! Especially with a child!}
Some of his troops chuckled.
He turned his main eyes to Floran, keeping me in sight through one of his stalk-eyes. {Though... you are rather small for a Warrior aren't you? I suppose the Andalites must be truly desperate, to allow runts like you into their army!}
They laughed this time, and the Visser looked pleased with himself. I looked to Floran, he was too terrified to be angry.
"H-how did you know!" I screamed suddenly, unable to control the fear in my voice. "How did you know we were coming?"
He didn't look back at me, his main eyes still fixed on Floran's terrified ones. {We intercepted your transmission to the Andalite home world. You see, the teleport was finished ahead of schedule, the invasion was meant to start yesterday.} He took a step closer to Floran. {But after hearing your call to your sister, I decided to set a trap. A trap for the escaped, supposedly, morph-capable host and the renegade Andalite whom Sub-Visser 19 failed to capture.}
I heard a groan. I saw Sub-Visser 19, Quincy Reed, looking haggard. Beaten, broken. Barely held to his feet by some human controllers.
{No...!} I heard Floran whisper in horror. {What have you done to my sister?} He yelled.
The Visser laughed. {I have no idea what our allies may have done to her. Perhaps she'll be there to see the beginning of the destruction of the Andalite forces.}
"It's not over!" I screamed.
He laughed, it was a laughed that shook me to my core. {Oh, but it is, little human. It's OVER.} He turned to his guards. {Take them. Bring the human, bring the Andalite, and the traitor as well. Bring them with us. To bear witness to the greatest victory of the Yeerk Empire!}
I saw Floran and Driss grabbed by some Hork Bajir, just before I was, and we were dragged along after Visser Three.
As I was forced along, the truth finally sunk in. It WAS over. We had failed.
He could have started the invasion yesterday, but he didn't.
He would make us watch them as the killed and infested the unsuspecting Andalites. Then he was infest us. Floran and I would be controllers. Driss would be killed through Kandrona starvation, the Visser could make it last weeks. The others were probably all dead or captured. The Andalites would fall, the human race will fall.
In those terrible moments, I saw the future in front of me. And I was powerless to stop it.
He wanted us to see. He wanted us to watch. He wanted to break us.
And he would succeeded.
We entered a narrow room. There wasn't much room in there, not since over half of it was full of machinery... Dozens of consoles twisted and tied together, connected to a gate. It was large, large enough for a Hork Bajir to pass through easily.
The Visser took a step forward, a look a delight on his face. {I've waited years for this!} He turned to one of the human scientists. {Start the machine!}
The three of them went to work, getting the machine running as quickly as possible.
I felt desperation surge through me, I pulled away from the controllers. "NO!"
In a flash, the Visser's tail-blade was against my throat. {Don't move.} He ordered. {It would be a shame for me to have to damage such a... 'unique' host.}
"You can't do this!" I whispered, my fear almost choking the words.
{I already have.} He turned his back to me, looking back at the teleport. {Keep hold of her. If you allow another outburst like that and I will kill the both of you.}
The two human controllers took hold of me again, forcing me to my knees.
The machine began to whirl and hiss. Was it almost ready? How much longer?
TSSEEEW! TSEEEW! TSEEEW! TSEEEW!
The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Over head, I saw Dracon beams flashing and firing in all directions. Someone was dragging me away.
"Sydnee!"
I looked up, dazed. "Dr-driss?"
He pulled me into cover, and I saw the battle.
Several humans and Hork Bajir were shooting each other.
{TRAITORS!} The Visser roared.
I saw the Taxxons... some were attacking the Yeerk Peace Movement... but most were feasting on the corpses that already littered the room and hall. Not even the Yeerks could control the Taxxon hunger.
There was so much confusion...
Where was Floran!
"Morph!"
I looked up at Driss. "What..?"
"Morph! You have to morph!"
Why? What was the point? There was no way we could win... "But I-"
"There's still a chance! Morph! DO IT NOW!" He ordered.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the Cougar in my mind.
Golden fur sprouted, teeth grew and sharpened, razor sharp claws.
I leaped forward to a Hork Bajir, he swiped at me with his blades, but I ducked and dug my teeth in his throat, ripping and tearing.
The battle was a blur of screams and bloodshed. The cougar's mind knew this was a matter of survival, it would fight to live no matter what! The human inside me screamed, it screamed but it never stopped fighting. It screamed in fear and rage.
No! No! NO!
I heard the machine let out a shudder, I saw a vortex form in the gate. Black and green energy twisted and swirled in the vortex!
{It's ready!} I cried.
I looked around the fight was still raging, but we couldn't last much longer-
"AAH!"
I turned, I saw a Hork Bajir get cut nearly in half by the Visser's tail...
It was Kan Hashut.
It was Nisret!
{NO!} I leaped at the Visser, dug my claws into his side.
THWAK! THWAK! THWAK! SLICE!
The Visser hit me several times with his tail, until I fell back, then he brought it down.
Pain! I fell back, I was hit and bleeding!
I could see Nisret, I saw the Hork Bajir smile... then die.
When a host dies... so does the Yeerk inside...
{Pathetic.} The Visser spat.
{I'LL KILL YOU!} I screamed, the cougar roaring in agreement.
{No.} He replied coldly. I saw his tail move, going for a killing strike-
SWOOP!
Something blocked the blade!
{You're right.} A familiar voice said, eerily calm. {She is not you're opponent. I am.}
Floran!
The Visser laughed. {You wish to tail-fight against me?} He laughed louder. {It's been many years since I've fought an Andalite is such close combat, though I doubt you will be much of a challenge.}
Suddenly his blade shot forward, faster then the human eye I could barely keep up!
Floran blocked, then went in for a hit, but the Visser blocked him! The Visser went in with three, quick strikes! All of them hit, but Floran managed to alter their course just fast enough to keep them from hitting something vital.
Then, in one terrible moment, I saw the Visser's tail raise high about his head, he brought it down, Floran went to block it-
But it suddenly stopped, changed direction, and swooped in!
It was headed straight for Floran's neck!
{NO!} I screamed.
Then, in a blink and you'll miss it moment, I saw Visser Three's tail-blade twitch. It changed it's course by a fraction of an inch! His tail hit Floran across the chest, but it missed the throat.
Why did he...?
Of course! His host! Visser Three's Andalite host! Had he intervened at the last second to save Floran?
It only lasted a second, but it was more then enough.
Floran began to strike wildly, pushing the Visser back.
{Sydnee.} I heard in private thought-speak.
{Floran!}
{Go.}
I pushed my injured body off the floor. {Wh-what!}
{Go through the portal. I cannot run from this fight. If I tried the Visser would strike me down. You must go through the portal.}
{What? No! I can't leave you behind!}
The fight between them went on, at the same time more reinforcements arrived to protect the Visser.
{The scientists are dead, as soon as you are through, Driss will destroy the gate.}
I couldn't! I couldn't leave Floran to die! {Floran!}
{Please Sydnee. Go. I don't know what forces will be waiting for you on the other side, but please. Go. Save my people.}
I saw something run passed me.
It was the Sub-Visser, he was running to the portal, he was trying to escape! I built up my strength and leaped!
Just before he entered the Portal, I tackled him. We both fell forward-
{Thank you, my friend.}