A/N:  School is evil, very evil.  I don't like homework.  Homework is horrible.  Especially web homework that makes no sense because the teacher does not teach us.  Grr….  Also, you know what's really cool?  I learned how to say two words in Mandarin Chinese today!  I can now say "tie-dye" and "chemistry" in Mandarin.  It was because my school has a sister school in Beijing, and there are a few students and teachers here right now.  Today, the Chinese chemistry teacher taught my chemistry class, and we tie-dyed handkerchiefs because tie-dying is a traditional Chinese art.  It was funness!  And sorry about the shortness of these chapters…  It's just because I'm coming to the end of this story, so don't worry, the chapters in the next book will be longer.  There's only another two chapters after this one left.  Also, school starts about five hours too early.  Grr…

Chapter 20

            "My feet hurt," I complained.

            "Get over it, Marco," Rachel said back.  "You got two more hours of sleep than Cassie, Tobias, Jake, and me, and we've only been walking for three hours."

            "Fine.  I'm tired, then."

            Rachel rolled her eyes, and I shot her a grin.  I was doing my job as myself:  Make the other people laugh. 

I looked around at my friends and saw them all talking in muted tones.  The large red giant sun was just starting to rise in the west. 

            Suddenly, a piercing thought-speak cry shot into my head, but then it stopped as quickly as it started.  Then, there was another, and another, until all I could hear were the pained shouts of about a dozen creatures. 

            "Ax?" Jake asked.  "Yahal?  Tobias"

            I looked around, and saw them in front of me.  They were fine, but Ax was shaking even more than normal.  His stalk eyes were rotating around and around.  He kept cocking his head, as if trying to hear something better.

            It's not an Andalite, Yahal announced.

            The One is absorbing people, Ax said quietly, his voice trembling.  That's what the cries are.  We're near him.  His voice rose to a near shriek as he finished.  He was shivering so much I was certain that he would collapse.

            "The Garatron?" Rachel guessed.  The last of the voices stopped.

            Must be, Tobias answered.

            "They're protecting him, though," Cassie objected.  "Why would The One absorb the things that are protecting him?"

            "He would if his gain would be greater by having their memories than it would by them just protecting him," I answered.  "He's pure evil, he doesn't care about them."

            Rachel nodded, automatically seeing what I meant.

            I see him, Tobias announced from a couple hundred feet above us.  Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar and three other Garatron are still there.  They look angry.

            "Well, yeah," I muttered.  "Ten or so of your best buds get absorbed by an evil being, you tend to get kind of cranky."

            "Which direction?" Jake questioned, none of the sadness from the day before in his voice.  He was our fearless leader again.

            About three hundred yards to the right, Tobias replied quickly.  Just behind those two trees.

            Before he could even finish, Rachel was running quietly to the Garatron and The One.  Jake was not far behind her, and I went, too.  Cassie, Jeanne, Tom, Yahal, Tobias, Toby, and the three Murkra followed us.  Only Ax stood behind, trembling.

            "Yo, Ax-man!" I called.  "C'mon!"

            Ax looked at me with all four eyes for a moment, shook for a moment longer, and then slumped.  Defeated, he followed us to go find The One.  However, he did not move before saying, I'm still hearing things behind us.

            I felt shivers run down my back.

            "You know what I've decided?" I asked.  "I've decided that if we survive this, I never want to see or talk to an all-powerful being again.  They just aren't fun.  Anyway, I'm pretty certain that my parents thought that defeating one evil alien race was enough for one lifetime."

            Everybody giggled the same nervous laugh we always had before a battle, the one we laughed not because something was funny, but because we were scared peeless.

            "Battle morphs, everyone," Jake commanded.  "Don't attack until I give the command, though."

            "Okay, Midget," Tom replied casually.  Bravery really did run in the Berenson family.  Stupid, reckless bravery in Rachel's case, maybe, but it was still bravery.

            "What is the plan after we morph?" Jeanne asked as dark spots appeared on her skin.

            "We're just going to–" Jake said, but then his mouth started growing fangs and changing shape.  We're just going to watch, see what we can learn about why The One absorbed some Garatron.  The morphs are just in case, so we don't get caught off guard, like yesterday, he said as his thought-speak kicked back in.  This time there was a definite quaver in his voice.

            We continued to talk and plan as we all changed into our animal forms.  Only the three Murkra, Toby, Tobias, Ax, and Yahal stayed in their normal forms.

            Perhaps we should stay back, this time? Captain Miaker offered.  That way, they will not attack.

            By now, The One and the Garatron have probably learned that we travel with the Murkra.  They will attack either way, Yahal countered.

            Lucky us, I mumbled as my gorilla morph completed.

            Come along anyway, Jake said, sighing.

            I smell them, Cassie commented, her talented wolf nose sniffing the air.

            Follow me, Tobias ordered, diving down toward us and then leading the way.

            I knuckle-walked along below him, as silent as I could be.  Hey, Bird-boy, I finally called to him in private thought-speak.  About how mean do those remaining four Garatron look?

            Why?  You scared? he asked back, only half laughing.

            No, I said, a little too quickly.

            Tobias started to laugh.  We're all scared.  You're lying.  And I don't like liars.

            You better watch it, I said grumpily.

            I think not, he said, still laughing.  I think it is you who should watch out.  You're the one standing below me.

            And with that, a small white blob of goo splatted onto the grass beside me.

            Man, Tobias, that was just nasty! I exclaimed, chuckling.

            Boys, boys, boys! Cassie jokingly reprimanded, walking up beside us.  Always fighting.  I expected better of you!  And bathroom humor is never a good thing.

            Now you are below me, Cassie, Tobias warned.  She immediately became quiet and dropped back a bit. 

Tobias and I both started giggling.  We may have been on our way to try and kick butt on a being that could kick our butt any day, but we were still laughing.  That was a good thing, at least.

Stop, Tobias suddenly said.  I looked ahead, and with my gorilla eyes I slightly made out the figures of four Garatron and another thing that kept flicking between the shapes of many different Garatron and many different Hork-Bajir.

The One.

I watched the scene playing out in front of us, hidden by the the brushes.

Youbetrayedme. Youtookmycrew. Whatdoyouthinkthatyouaredoing?! Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar howled at The One.

The One laughed evilly.  They were of no use to me, Captain.  And they were mine, not your crew.  You are mine.  You must obey me.  Otherwise, I will absorb you as well.

Youwillnotusemeandmypeoplelikethis.

The three other Garatron stood behind their Captain, uncertain.

Are you trying to betray me now as well, Captain? The One mocked.  You saw what happened to the others when they tried to leave.

Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar turned a deeper shade of blue, and his eyes narrowed in anger.  Youwillnotthreatenme.

Cassie gasped.  Is that what happened? she asked us in private thought-speak.  The Garatron rebelled against The One, and so he absorbed them?

It looks like it, Jake answered grimly.

I turned back to The One and Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar.

I will threaten you as I like, The One said menacingly.  With that, he leaped forward.  One of the Garatron standing behind Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar gave a terrified scream, and then crumpled.  The One seemed to become translucent for a moment, then he expanded.  The  victimized Garatron were shrouded in the cloud of mist that was The One.  Finally, the mist seemed to shrink down into the Garatron's body.  Finally, it disappeared, and the Garatron stood up, perfectly calm.  Then, it flickered.  It had been absorbed.

You will not question my actions anymore, Captain, The One said.  He whipped his newest Garatron tail forward, and Captain Bavaritun Larumian Hartar's stalk eye, the one Tobias had hurt before, fell to the ground.  The Captain gave a cry of pain, and clasped his hands over the stump that was already oozing bluish-green blood.

Oh, my God, Cassie said in a stunned, quiet voice.  The rest of us were silent, too shocked by what we had just seen to say anything at all.

Ax jumped suddenly at the sound of the leaves rustling behind us.

I head something, he said weakly.

It was just the wind, Rachel said, her voice tense with anger.  She was obviously mad at Ax for his imagined bogeys and monsters lurking behind every corner.

However, she stopped talking quite suddenly, her nose in the air.

I looked around, trying to see what was wrong.  It was then with horrifying realization that I understood.

We were surrounded by Garatron.

A/N:  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!  PLEASE!!!  There are only another two to three chapters left on this, and I would really, really, really, really like to get 261 reviews PLEASE!!!!!  That's only another, uh… *Counts*  Oh, forget this.  *Pulls out calculator*  Forty-nine reviews!  (Unless I get more before I post this chapter.)  So, PLEASE review!  I'll love you forever!  I swear!  Just please, review.  If I get 261, I could die happy.  Please!!!  *Gives puppy eyes to all readers*  Please?