By Wickedclowns101
Chapter Two
Earthbound without escape
The darkness was lifted slowly
as Jake opened his eyes. Sunlight washed over him, bringing him back
to full alert. "Huh?" Jake asked, scoping out his surroundings.
"Okay Jake, calmly sort this out," he told himself. "Okay, fact one.
I'm alive. I think." He said, running a hand over his chest, making
sure he was solid. "Fact two. We crashed on Earth. Fact
three. Earth is controlled by the yeerks. Fact four.
I don't know if the others are even alive." He said, walking over to the
hatch of the ship, and tried to open it. It had been crumpled in
the crash, and wouldn't open. Jake drew back his fist, and punched
it as hard as he could. The door flew open. The air hit him
suddenly, catching him off guard. He'd been so used to breathing
Andalite air that he had to take a few minutes to get used to Earth air.
It was hot. They were in southern California. He'd noticed
the location briefly before he crashed. Perhaps they were near his
home town of Palm Desert.
He climbed up a large sand
dune, to see the other ships. Every one hundred feet or so, there
was a small group of Andalite's gathered around a small fire. He
scanned the area for his squad leaders and his wife.
This way, Prince Jake.
> It was Herratt's voice.
"Herratt? Where are
you?" Jake asked.
Walk to your left,
Prince Jake. > This time it was Samaila. Jake did as he was instructed,
until he stumbled upon the camp. Ashley threw her arms around him,
and kissed him deeply. Jake hugged her tightly.
"Oh, Ashley… I'm so glad
you're all right. I saw a ship next to me explode, and… and…" He
was in tears now, and couldn't find the right words. He just hugged
her.
"I'm okay, Jake. Please,
don't cry… it freaks people out." Ashley said, and pushed some of Jake's
hair out of his face. Jake wiped his eyes.
"Yeah," he looked at the
others. They were all safe. Herratt, Samaila, Angelica, Ashley…
"Where's Firrall?" Jake asked. Angelica looked down. Samaila
and Herratt's stalk eyes drooped noticeably.
"He didn't make it, Jake."
Angelica whispered. Jake sighed.
Jake bit his bottom lip,
and turned away. Firrall had been one of his best friends.
"I'm so sorry...." Jake said. Ashley wrapped her arms around him,
while he buried his face in her shoulder.
"Come on Jake... There's
no use in dwelling on it now. We have a job to do. Besides,
he was a warrior. It's a cutthroat business." The others nodded
in silent agreement.
"Now, whose ship is this?"
Jake asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the color plates on the shredder
cannon.
"Mine." Angelica said.
"Does your radio work?"
Jake asked.
"Yes. I think it's
the only thing on the ship that does." Angelica said. Jake walked
onto the ship, and lifted the radio transmitter, which was silver plated.
"Garon? Can you hear
me?" Jake said. Garon's thought speak voice came back a little fuzzy.
Yes, Prince Jake. >
He said.
"Can you give me a casualty
report?" Jake asked.
Of course. Blue
team suffered thirty two percent casualties. Green team, thirty eight
percent. Gold team… seventy four percent. Silver team, sixty
eight percent. Red team, thirteen percent. > Garon said. Jake
did the calculations in his head.
"That means… we only have
twenty three Andalites left, including you, Mantill, Sherill, and Tarroth."
Jake said.
That is correct, Prince
Jake. > Garon said.
"Any of our ships capable
of returning to the dome?" Jake asked.
No, Prince Jake.
They are all too badly damaged. > Garon said.
"Then can you enter the
atmosphere?" Jake asked.
Not without raising
the heat shield. That would alert them to our presence, and make
us perfect targets for their ground based Dracon Cannon. > Garon said.
"Better and better," Jake
muttered.
What would you like
me to do, Prince Jake? > Garon asked. Jake rubbed his forehead.
"Nothing, Garon. The
dome is our last safe haven. Just stay hidden until I instruct you
to do otherwise." Jake said, and replaced the radio in its holder.
He walked back to the others.
"What now?" Angelica asked.
"We're stuck here until
we find a way back to the dome." Jake said.
None of the fighters
are capable of liftoff? > Samaila asked.
"No." Jake answered.
"You all need to go human,
and we need to ditch these cruisers before the Yeerks show up." Ashley
said.
"Don't forget why we're
here." Jake said.
"Jake, it's impossible."
Angelica said.
"It's very possible.
The yeerks got arrogant after destroying the Andalite home world.
Every Kandrona on the planet is connected to the main generator, which
is in what used to be Chernobyl. There are these huge, vein-like
structures that connect every Kandrona to it. Destroy the generator,
and every Kandrona on the planet fails." Jake explained.
"So tell Garon to blow it
up right now!" Angelica said.
"Only I know precisely where
to fire the beam. If we're even a fraction of an inch off, the whole
planet blows." Jake said.
Then we must return
to the dome as soon as possible. > Herratt said.
"But how?" Ashley asked.
Steal a Yeerk ship?
> Samaila asked.
"How would we even get close?"
Ashley asked. Jake snapped his fingers.
"The Yeerk Pool!" he exclaimed.
"They don't keep ships near
pools." Angelica said.
"They do if it's an underground
Yeerk Pool." Jake said.
"What?" Ashley asked.
"An underground Yeerk Pool.
As in, the place of the Animorph's last battle." Jake said.
How would we get in?
> Samaila asked.
"I remember a few entrances."
Jake said.
"That plan is so Rachel."
Ashley said. Jake laughed.
"My cousin would be proud.
Her next words would be…" Jake said. Angelica finished the sentence.
"Let's do it!"
*~*
"One more time, are you insane?"
Ashley demanded.
"For the last time, no.
Now please, shut up. I need to concentrate." Jake said, rubbing his
temples.
"No need to be rude," Angelica
muttered.
"I wouldn't be rude if I
didn't keep getting interrupted by stupid statements." Jake shot back.
Let me see if I understand.
One f us will play host to the others, who will be in an insect morph of
some kind? > Samaila asked. Jake nodded.
"That person will go down
to the Yeerk pool, and release the insects near a ship." Jake said.
Ashley and Angelica stared at Jake for a moment.
"We're dead." Ashley said.
"I suppose you have a better
idea, Dear?" Jake asked.
"I do, in fact. I
say we stay here and repair the ships." She said.
"What if we can't fix them?"
Jake asked.
"I can fix anything." Ashley
said proudly. Jake glared at his wife, knowing that once she got
her mind set on something, there was no talking her out of it.
"Fine. Blue and Green
team will stay here and try to fix the ships. Gold, Silver, and Red
team will come with me." Jake said. Ashley smirked.
"How many do we have in
those three teams?" Jake asked.
Eleven, Prince Jake.
> Samaila said.
"I've succeeded with less,"
Jake said.
"I'd better get started,"
Ashley said. Jake nodded. Ashley hesitated, but then wrapped
her arms around Jake's neck, and kissed him.
"You'd better come back."
She whispered.
"I will, Ash. It's
hard to kill an Animorph." He said.
"All the same, be careful."
Ashley said.
"Don't worry about me.
You concentrate on fixing those ships." Jake said. He left Ashley,
and then hugged Angelica.
"Take care," Jake said.
"You too, Jake." She said.
Jake nodded, and turned back to Samaila.
"Sam? Gather the troops.
We leave in ten minutes." Jake ordered.
***
Everyone morphed? >
Jake asked.
Yes, Prince Jake. >
ten thought-speak voices answered simultaneously. Jake laughed to
himself. He had long since stopped asking 'Don't call me Prince.'.
It seemed that all Andalite's shared Ax's twisted sense of humor.
Then let's go.
Remember, act like normal seagulls. > Jake said, and took off with his
small army flying right behind him.
Where is the entrance?
> Samaila asked, after they began to reach the ruins of Jake's old home
city. It had taken about a half hour of hard flying to get here.
Let's see… > Jake said,
trying to remember all the entrances. The dressing room at the
Gap, the McDonalds, the bat cave, the Arco Station, the car wash, Denny's…
> he went on. The Andalites, of course, had no idea what he was talking
about.
Follow me, > Jake said,
and turned about forty five degrees to the right, and glided toward the
abandoned McDonalds.
Land behind the building.
As soon as you demorph, remorph to fly and land on my body. > Jake said.
It was much easier said than done. It took an hour before all the
Andalites got a grip on the fly instincts, and safely landed on Jake's
body.
"Here we go, guys." Jake
whispered, and walked into the building. What he found inside shocked
him.
The inside lay in ruins. The table and chairs had been burned
away, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the building. There
were stairs leading down the hole.
The familiar sounds of the Yeerk pool rushed into his mind. The
endless sloshing of the leaden water, the crying of the captive hosts,
but there was no more screaming. No more pleading.
"No more hope," Jake muttered.
He walked down the stairs, and emerged into the great cavern. It
was just as he remembered it from fifteen years ago.
He tried not to look nervous, and tried to look like he knew where
he was going, but he couldn't shake off the feelings of despair that loomed
around him when he was in this foul place. He was looking for a ship.
Any ship. After a few minutes of searching, he found one. But
not a bug fighter. It was a blade ship. The blade ship of a
Yeerk Visser.
"Fly to the right guys.
The hatch is open." Jake whispered.
We will contact you
as soon as we can, Prince Jake. > Samaila said.
"Who are you talking to?"
a human controller demanded. Jake looked up to see a middle aged
woman, perhaps forty or forty five, level a Dracon beam at his face.
"No one!" Jake said, surprised.
"What is your name?" the
controller demanded, tightening her finger on the trigger.
"Umm… Umm… Iniss seven three
five of the Sulp Niaar Pool!" He exclaimed. Jake knew that using
a human name would have been suicide. He knew that Chapman's Yeerk
was Iniss Two Two Six of the Sulp Niaar pool.
"That's a lie! Iniss
seven three five spawned years ago!" the controller said, then turned back
to the bulk of the Yeerk pool.
"Escaped host! It's
an escaped host! Take him!" the controller yelled. Three big
Hork-bajir guards approached him. Jake recognized one thing immediately.
The guards wore blue bands on their arms. Visser Three's private
guard, Jake thought.
"Back away!" Jake yelled,
and began to morph. The orange fur rippled over his body, as he collapsed
to all fours. His eyes fine tuned to seeing potential prey, and his
canines extended to more than five times their normal length. Perfect
for ripping and tearing the throats out of still living prey.
"Animorph!" the human controller
yelled, and fired the Dracon beam from less than ten feet away.
TSSSEEEWWWW!
By sheer luck, the beam missed by millimeters.
My turn, > Jake said.
"RWWWWOOOOOOOOWWWWWRRRR!!!!"
He roared. The humans and Hork-bajir's knees turned to butter.
The lady with the Dracon beam readied another shot.
Lower your weapon.
> A thought speak voice boomed. The Hork-bajir stopped dead in their
tracks. An Andalite stepped out from a cavern. But this was
no normal Andalite.
Visser Three! > Jake
cried.
I was Visser Three
long ago, Jake the Animorph. Now, you may address me as a Council
Member. > he sneered.
You're still a slug
to me, > Jake spat.
And your friends will
soon be just bodies to be used by us, > The Visser said.
What are you talking
about? > Jake demanded. The Visser's stalk eyes looked up.
So did Jake. He saw both Angelica and Ashley dangling from a ledge,
in chains. Both unconscious.
ASHLEY! > Jake yelled,
and ran for the stairs. The Hork-bajir moved to stop him.
Let him go. > the Visser
said, bemused. Jake bounded up the stairs until he finally reached
the room that held His wife and best friend. Also, a very large Grizzly
bear.
R…Rachel? > Jake asked.
To Be Continued…