Chapter 26

((Ayattil?!)) I called for approximately the twenty-sixth time. Again, no answer came.

I was beginning to have some serious second-thoughts about my rather aggressive plan, because my time in morph was going dangerously close to two hours, and I had still not heard from my faithful-if-dim assistant.

((Ayattil,)) I repeated. ((If you can hear me, please respond! I only have seven minutes left!))

Nothing, which was hugely worrying. I would have to demorph very soon, because being trapped in the body of a plant would make me wish that I were dead. Demorphing, however, could mean that I would very quickly actually be dead, were I to be noticed. Several other gruesome thoughts described themselves in my head, and I did my best to hold them off for as long as possible. I feared going mad.

With luck, I could demorph and find myself alone in an empty room somewhere within the base. Another good location would be in the back of whatever vehicle they would be using to transport me.

And of course, all of this depended on whether the criminals had taken the cake in the first place. That seemed likely, however, because even Ayattil had enough brain cells to inform me of a mission abort.

Maybe I was being loaded into the Processor, and my body was being slowly fed into Ardina's waiting hooves…

I needed to get out of the box!

((…Sir! Wh…))

((Ayattil?!)) I gasped squeakily. ((Ayattil, I can barely hear you!))

((Th… getting closer, sir!))

((Yes, you're getting closer, Ayattil!)) I shouted with unrestricted excitement. ((Report to me!))

((Oh, hello, sir!)) He replied ((I'm out by the base. It's cold out here.))

I grumbled. ((Never mind the weather, Ayattil, I have just mere minutes left in this morph. Do you know where my box is?!))

((I'm not sure, sir.))

((Well did you see anything on the krymu device?!)) I blasted, already angered.

((Yes, sir. About thirteen minutes ago, the box was opened.))

((And…?))

((Two Andalites were stood outside of the box, sir. They were looking inside of it.)) He explained.

I pondered that. ((Did you see what was past them? Any indication of where they were?))

((It was dark, sir. Maybe a cave.))

That was enough of a signal for me, and without hesitation I began the grotesque demorphing process. I was more than willing to take the substantial risk.

((Anything else to report, Ayattil?)) I asked as an aside.

((I made the call to Neechun, sir. He looked a little miffed.))

I laughed to myself. ((Of course he would, the pompous fool.))

My body was changing rapidly, and I could feel my sensory nerves creating a surface on my half-plant, half-Andalite skin, popping up and throwing me into a deep state of tingly-ness. It had not happened like this before, and I began to wonder why.

It struck me soon enough. I remembered that I had instructed Ayattil to place me within the cake's layers. From there, I would be emerging.

From somewhere, Ayattil was still yapping on at me. I began to take notice as he asked, ((What do I do now, sir?))

((Wait out of sight for now. Are you in Human morph?))

((Yes, sir.))

((Well stay that way for now. When I give a signal, demorph, and follow my instructions as I give them to you.))

((Okay, sir!))

The morphing process was taking longer than usual. My major senses were still yet to return, and I was unfortunate enough to notice that my body's touch receptors were one of the first things to return. With them, I felt my legs and arms sprouted from my body, and perhaps my head. It was hard to tell.

What wasn't so hard to tell, however, was the fact that my lungs were returning. I needed to breath, and the need rapidly became desperate. My nostril dug into my head, and yet they brought no relief. I came to the worrying conclusion that my box was sealed by more than just a cardboard lid.

Worry turned to panic, as one of the more claustrophobic scenarios I had dreamt up was now becoming reality. I had to kick and stretch, a last resort to push my way from any closed packaging.

((Come on…)) I hissed to my own disobedient body, urging for my tail to appear. It stubbornly waited till the very end of the process, but just as I felt my body succumbing to suffocation, it stretched outward from my spine, the blade sharp as ever. With no hesitation, I thrust it upward, sliding through layers of cake and then through a harder layer. Not too hard.

I slit the casing, and within seconds I was breathing again. Panting, but attempting to keep it silent, knowing that I would be lucky to get away with the last minute or so of struggling.

Writhing around for a while, I managed to gain some grip on a surface strewn with the ex-contents of a once-fine cake. Using my tail further, I gently tore a hole big enough in the upper surface to lift my upper body from it. A stalk eye was sent out first to explore my new surroundings.

Lucky was the only word I could think of to describe myself. There was nobody around. Nobody but for piles and piles of other boxes, some of the boring brown variety, and others more colourful and decorated with pleasant patterning, forming walls that separated me from the outside world.

Looking directly upwards, I saw mostly blackness, but shards of light falling upon jagged, messy edges. I decided that I was somewhere underground. A cave, which was definitely a good sign.

((Okay, Ayattil. I'm demorphed, and I haven't been spotted. I'll make my way to security. You stay put.))

Covered in cake product, I removed myself very cautiously from my box. I noticed that the reason I couldn't breathe was that it had actually been sealed in some transparent plastic packaging. Every single box around me, too. Clearly, the group had been anticipating my arrival via their takings. Little did they know that I would be arriving as a small domestic plant.

But that wasn't the only precaution that they were taking. I peered between two stack of boxes, gazing upon what at first appeared to be a storage depot, filled with boxes both empty and undisturbed, dimly lit by several unprotected bulbs high above. On the ground, I saw a whole choir of animal repellents. There were bug zappers, bear traps, electric fences and lines of grids. Basically, everything that the Yeerks forgot to use during the war.

I felt immensely proud of myself, and of the plucky plant. How useful it had turned out to be!

As far as I could tell, I was alone. However, I couldn't afford to be slack in my efforts to infiltrate the base. Looking around, I saw no signs of security cameras, but I knew that there would be one around. With all these boxes around, I knew that I would have plenty of cover if needed. I daintily jumped clear of the walls of boxes, clomping down onto a dusty, dark alleyway. Now, I could see where most of the light was coming from: Behind my collection of boxes was a large truck, and further behind still was a bright light, indicative of an entrance. Apparently, I had just been unloaded. Yet, I saw no signs of life…

Avoiding the various animal traps on the ground, I travelled though the grim landscape in the direction I thought best to head in.

I was stunned by the sheer amount that was in that storage room. What I saw was one half of empty boxes that I presumed would be taken away at some time, and another half of new boxes, almost lined up in a queue with the boxes growing more dishevelled as I moved forward.

((No, I'll take those.))

I froze in place when that sudden bout of thought-speak entered my head from close-by. Hoof steps followed, and they were just a pile of boxes or two away. I wasn't alone after all.

No matter. I was clever enough to get myself out of the situation. I found the nearest gap among the boxes and craftily pulled myself through, landing awkwardly but safely hidden among the empties. The footsteps neared, but at that point I was completely out of sight, aside from a stalk eye that I slipped around a corner.

There were two of them walking side-by-side, unarmed. Two of Ardina's group doing their rounds in the depot, perhaps as basic security or two of those who had delivered today's goods. I didn't need to mess with them, as long as I didn't get caught, so I waiting for them to move further away and left my safety position. From there I continued.

There wasn't much left to see. Just around the corner, I found where the ceiling met the ground, where the boxes stopped piling up. To my right, and following the wall, the boxes continued, but in the distance I could see a clear landmark. It looked like a door, as golden light was spilling through, and there was a large grey trolley waiting unmanned. I imagined that to be the best route to take, so long as I didn't come face-to-face with security.

I moved stealthily, silently forward, cuddled up to the wall as close as possible to avoid detection by any security measures potentially around. My steps were light, and my movement restricted.

I reached to door unscathed. Just as I thought, it was the entranceway to the rest of the base, signalled by a long corridor that stretched deep into the heart of the cave, illuminated much more brightly than the depot I was stood in.

The sign reading "Main Base" was also a good indicator. It pointed straight forward. However, it was not what I was after.

Quietly, I snuck up the few steps to the door and found myself clear of the vast open area, emerging into a much narrower setting. The corridor itself was set apart from the depot by a tiny entrance point, no larger than my hotel bathroom. It was merely an empty space with a door on either side. Nevertheless, it was a good place to take a much deeper breath than those I had been taking.

Then I heard a noise. Nothing more than a shuffle, a hoof close by being shifted on the flattened rock ground. My tail bolted up and forward, my instinctual stance instantly coming into play.

It was just around the corner, on the left of the corridor I was about to emerge in. If I could be quiet enough, I would have the advantage of an ambush attack. So I pressed myself up against the corridor doorway, and poked my right stalk eye around the frame…

He was right there, a male with his back turned and his attention focused on a small wall panel. He didn't strike me as a fighter, but more of a handyman just going about his daily chores. Nevertheless, he had to be dealt with if I were to move further into the base.

Not only that, but looking at his utility belt, he may have been holding a number of useful items.

Not to be immodest, but I dealt with the situation splendidly. I readied my stance, charged into the corridor, and before he had to chance to even cry out in shock, I had clobbered him with the blunt of my tail. He thumped against the wall, and the combination of events sent him to the land of the unconscious. He would probably be there long enough for me to get far enough away from him. He probably didn't see me long enough to recognise me anyway.

It was a proud, if alien moment for myself, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't become complacent. After all, his duty didn't require him to be on watch. Security guards would always be utilising their three-sixty degree vision. They would be almost impossible to sneak up on.

Eager not to raise any eyebrows, I dragged the unconscious body (with the aid of the spare trolley) further down the corridor branching leftwards and into a spare room, making sure that it was clear as I entered. It was little more than a storage space, and it gave me time to inspect the worker's utility belt. Meanwhile, I put him safely away in in large wooden box.

The utility belt was mostly full of operational tools meant for electrical maintenance. So clearly, he was the base's electrician. Luckily, I did find a set of keys with each of them labelled.

It was unusual to see a solely Andalite-run organisation such as this one using mostly Human technology. Obviously, without support of any genuine Andalite businesses, and the sparseness of attainable Andalite equipment on Earth, it was all they could use. It was incredibly useful to me, because a set of keys can be used by anybody. An Andalite door would be unlocked by purely individual traits, such as eye pattering or finger-printing. I believe even some Human security systems have that, but it certainly wasn't available for the average criminal.

The electrician started to moan, and I took that as my cue to leave. I slapped him around the head again to make sure that he would be out for a little while longer, and shuffled back out into the corridor.

Then I stumbled back in. In the doorway that I had just emerged from, I caught sight of a particularly menacing tail. It could only have belonged to a rather bulky guard. For the foreseeable future, I was stuck in the storage room.

And then another brilliant idea popped into my head. With haste I went back over to the electrician's temporary home, and placed my hand to his temple. I began to acquire his DNA, at the same time wondering how I hadn't thought of such a plan sooner.

With the electricians DNA a part of me, I began the simple transformation. I grew shorter by a fraction, and my hooves subtly changed shape to become a little more worn. I became a little uglier.

When morphed, I put the belt on and became a spitting image of the person I had knocked out. Confidently, I strolled back into the corridor, where the security guard had fully emerged around the corner.

He approached, the large bulky monster eyeing me over with a small Human projectile in hand. ((Yhurru, aren't you supposed to be working?)) He huffed. ((All I see is slacking.))

((I'm not slacking,)) Was my instinctual response. ((Now let me get on with my work.))

The guard bought it, rolling his eyes and scraping a hoof irritably on the ground. ((Fine.))

I took the opportunity to move onwards, cantering down the narrow corridors now in search of whatever passed as the security room. In the worker's body, I could travel anywhere in the facility undetected, as long as the real one wasn't discovered and I could remain in character. Remaining by myself was the best option.

All that aside, however, my task was by no means easy. Locating the security room was more of a challenge than I originally anticipated. The entire area of the facility was lined with monotone, directionless corridors that seemed to go on for an eternity. Most rooms were empty, void of anything but walls and cobwebs. Clearly, all this space had been constructed with the future in mind, because they were yet to use any of it.

Without the aid of landmarks or signs telling me where to go, I was completely lost in the rows of orange-lit rectangular corridors.

((Nicalor, sir?))

I stopped as Ayattil's voice popped into my head. It was still very faint, but audible. ((What?))

((What's happening in there? It's been a long time…))

((Nothing much is happening. I'm fine, if that's what you're worried about.)) I replied.

((Have you found the security room, sir?))

I groaned, slouching against the wall as my four eyes looked in every direction. ((No, and it's starting to grate on me now. So keep quiet and let me concentrate.))

Time would start to run short, and I knew that I had to start making progress soon. I increased my pace, almost charging through the desolate, deserted corridors, knowing that the longer I took doing this, the chances of a successful mission decreased. Ardina's assassins would return soon, I was sure of that.

And then luck decided to show its beautiful face on the horizon. It was about time. As I rounded a corner after over an hour searching, a soft whirring noise rose up, coupled with a bright white light shining from a room on the right-hand side. Some form of activity was definitely good progress.

Getting back into character, I slowed to a steady walk and approached whatever room was being utilised. On the way, just a few steps from the doorway, I came to a four-way junction.

Looking right, I saw the entrance to the depot in the distance. I grumbled, and tried to forget about it.

I walked in through the new doorway, engulfed in much brighter light than I had been. The whirring sounds became prominent, and brought my attention to a large white machine that filled the corner of the room. It was a distinctly Andalite style of design, not rectangular as Human objects but masterfully rounded to make a shape pleasing to the eye. Several polymer pipes were protruding from the machines sides, only to disappear into the walls behind.

Sticking out like a sore thumb in the otherwise totally white room was a female, stood to the side and taking down some notes on a personal computer. One of her stalk eyes lifted to see me, and then promptly looked away. I was not of interest to her.

((Just doing some checks,)) I announced. ((Don't mind me.))

I may as well have spoken to a wall. She didn't raise an eyebrow. I took that as a cue to do a little investigative work, and went over to the mysterious machine.

It was mostly bland, nothing more than a huge white box that shuddered and shook on its own accord. On the side of the machine was a control panel, and so I shifted myself over to view it more clearly. The most noticeable feature was a vertical lever, annotated with an increasing power metre, currently set at zero. Aside from that, it was mostly buttons meant to change various settings for the machine.

This was indeed the machine that I first thought it was. Ardina had mentioned that she had stolen the plans for the Feed for Andalite Processor, and so I assumed that she had simply made it larger, more capable of handling copious amounts of food. The female in the room that I deemed to be a scientist was probably working to improve the machine.

Well, there wasn't much that I could do with it, other than know what the stolen plans had produced.

Then I heard some squeaking, the sound of something being rolled down the corridor outside. Sure enough, a trolley rolled up outside of the room, holding atop it a collection of boxes. I predicted there to be about twelve, medium-sized. Behind it was another worker, one of the two that had passed me back in the depot. He applied the trolley's brakes, and started to unload the boxes into the room. Meanwhile, the scientist walked over to inspect the boxes.

((Salted chips, Double choc cookies, vanilla ice cream… Where's the mint ice cream?)) The scientist hummed.

The male worker carried over a brown box and dropped it before her, retreating to move the rest. ((Right there.))

((Okay,)) The scientist whispered with a hint of distaste. ((And… Twinkies?))

((Just in case we ever run out.)) He replied.

Realising that spying on them might look suspicious, I averted my gaze and stepped away from the machine nonchalantly, fiddling with the tools in my belt.

I was going to leave, but before leaving the room, the male worker who had now finished moving boxes, said, ((Yhurru, I thought you'd left.))

My intelligent mind and quick wit allowed me to approach the situation calmly. ((Who? Me?))

((Yes,)) The worker grumbled. ((You left about thirty Earth minutes ago, claiming you were assaulted by the loading rooms. You said that you quit.))

I admit that I did pause for a short while. ((Well, you know me…)) I responded casually and with a jesting sweep of my right hand.

((No,)) The female said. ((We don't.))

The male really didn't seem to care. ((We don't have time for this. Just get the food into the machine before we get found slacking. Remember what happened to Frasnet last week?))

The scientists nodded grimly. ((You don't have to remind me.))

They got on with their work, which suited me just fine. Despite perhaps going a little out of character, it wasn't enough to raise their suspicions. I watched as they emptied the boxes of their food items and dropped it all into the top of the machine. It whirred harder, breaking up all of the matter into a coarse liquid, destined to travel down the pipes and to a certain set of hooves.

Running into Ardina would be a mistake, and it was not my intention to locate the main base where I had been taken before. I left the white room and continued to search for security. It didn't take long.

It was three doors down from the processor's room. The door wasn't marked or signified in any way, but as I pushed it open, a series of television sets lined up by the far wall told me all that I needed to know. The room was dark and barely lit up by the single bulb dangling from the ceiling, but I could make out the clear silhouette of somebody sat stood before the sets.

I felt a cold chill. With somebody sat there watching the entire facility, no doubt my presence had been noticed.

But I heard heavy breathing. Well, it wasn't heavy, but more… restricted. It was loud and obnoxious, and reminded me a lot of Ayattil. The guard was snoring.

Even while stood upright, the security guard had fallen asleep, his head and stalk eyes drooped forward in his peaceful slumber. Nevertheless, I had to move him so that he was no longer an issue.

My hand searched in the darkness for a light switch. When it found what it was looking for, and when the room was lit up more clearly, I made a few more observation to assess the situation. The guard had been in the room alone, and that allowed me to calmly close the door and move him. In the end, I sent him further into unconsciousness and simply flopped him onto a pile of boxes in the corner. There was nowhere to hide him, and I wasn't going to risk taking him out of the room.

With him out of the way, I was free to get tangled up in the security. With it all being of Human origins, it was all spectacularly easy to figure out.

((Okay, Ayattil,)) I called out. ((I'm in the security room. I should be opening the door shortly. Get into position and demorph.))

((Right, sir!)) He responded faintly.

I hummed silently to myself as I infiltrated the security systems. All simple stuff, accessing the main security computer to delete some recordings, opened a few doors here and there. It was achieved in less than five minutes, and so far I had not been distracted. Not even by Ayattil.

Speaking of Ayattil, I had to let him in. I could continue the mission by myself, but even I needed backup. (Even if that backup is Ayattil. In fact, he would probably be more of a hindrance than a help.) I flashed up a new camera on one of the television screens, and it displayed in black and white the entrance that we were dragged into when we came previously. It was little more than a tree with an unusually large hole beneath. At that moment, it was covered by an impassable layer of thickets, bushed and even barbed wire. A Hork-Bajir would struggle to get through.

But with the flick of a button on my dusty old control panel, the entire blockage split seamlessly down the centre, and slowly opened up. The thorns and wire disappeared into the surrounding tree trunks, and the base was open to the world. I caught a glimpse of Ayattil, back in his own body, jump down from the bank and gingerly enter.

All I had to do now was guide him to my location with the help of the many security cameras around the building. Even Ayattil could be sneaky with me telling him where to go. Judging by the overall view of the facility, most of Ardina's grunts were still absent, so he would be unlucky to encounter someone.

As long as he could avoid Ardina's gaze. She was in her usual spot, sat like an overtaxed water balloon upon her great nest in the main room of the base, surrounded by a trusted number of lackeys. She was motionless, mostly, occasionally shuffling as she barked out indistinguishable orders. I saw the pipes from the processor beside her. They weren't attached, which surprised me.

She had gotten fatter since I last saw her. That didn't surprise me.

((Turn left at the next t- No, not that one,)) I continued to instruct, watching as Ayattil fumbled and bumbled his way through the entranceway. ((There's a guard further down there, so take the next one.))

((The next one, sir?)) He asked, shrugging in the centre of the walkway.

I sighed. ((Yes! The next one. Now hurry up, or I'll-))

Cl-click!

I knew that sound. It was prevalent in all of the thriller movies I had watched since arriving on Earth. It caused me to immediately stop everything that I was doing, and turn my wrongfully inattentive stalk eyes behind me.

The door had been opened, unbeknownst to me. Opened just enough to allow the barrel of a pistol through the gap, and a suspicious eye above it.