Rachel

I lunged, straight for the polar bear. Go for the main opponent first. Go for the danger. I barreled straight into him. It was a train crash. I slammed him, my shoulder into the side of his head.

He had a bear morph. I was my bear morph.

Experience is very helpful.

The polar bear staggered. I extended my claws and in a move no real bear had ever learned, I drove them straight into him. Like four daggers, right beneath the front right shoulder: the heart. I hit him again before the cape buffalo slammed me and knocked me, windless, rolling into the bulkhead.

The buffalo backed up and came at me again, the wide, thick horns like a battering ram. But the beast's hooves were designed for dirt and grass not the slippery floor. He hit me in my exposed belly. It would have killed me if he'd been up to speed. Even so it crushed the last ounce of air from my lungs. I felt like someone had dropped a house on me.

A lioness was on my face, clawing madly, like a crazed alley cat. The other one was trying to bite my neck – a waste of time. No one bites through a grizzly's thick fur.

I was down, buried under mad fur. I was down, slashed at, punched, hammered, clawed. My legs were in the air, helpless!

I drew my legs close and shifted my weight. Got my legs under me. I lifted myself and the two lions. I shook myself violently and threw off the lion who'd been at my face. I aimed a blow at her and managed to stun her a little. It was all I needed. I rammed into her, throwing her into one of the consoles and knocking her out.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the polar bear trying to demorph. It's the only way when your morph body is dying: demorph and fast. Die in morph and you're dead. Period. Unfortunately for the Yeerk with the polar bear morph, he didn't demorph fast enough. At least it was one less I had to deal with.

But I was missing something. Something nagged at me.

Tom! Jake yelled. Tom!

The cape buffalo butted me in the hindquarters and spun me around. The lion on back was reaching around like it was trying to strangle me, digging busy claws into the folds of loose skin around my throat.

I managed to reach behind me and grab the lion on my back by the skin at the back of its neck with my claws. With a surge of energy I threw the lion at the buffalo and it got impaled on the buffalo's horns.

I tried to stagger forward, in search of Tom, but the buffalo had done some damage. My hindquarters were numb and weak.

Tom! Rachel, Tom! Look out for Tom!

Jake's voice was far away. Strange.

The slick floor that handicapped the buffalo now worked against me, too. I couldn't get enough traction with my blood-slicked pads.

My front right leg suddenly buckled. It was a pail of ice water in my face, a sudden realization.

My blood. That was my blood on the floor.

He's a snake! a voice cried. Rachel!

A flash of movement, so fast it was a blur. Something in my eyes! Burning. I couldn't see. That's okay, okay, bears can't see all that well anyway, I had… I had…

A cobra, some distant, strange, analytical part of my brain noted. Tom's morph: a cobra. The venom was in my eyes.

I couldn't think. Couldn't see.

Demorph.

No. Tom would kill me.

I realized I was no longer standing. I was flat on the floor. I heard my own slow breathing. I should be panting.

Something striking at my face again and again. The cobra. Couldn't even see him.

I had failed. Tom. Alive.

Die human, he said. Just die.

Rachel! Tobias cried.

Help me, Tobias, I pleaded.

I cant… I…

He didn't understand. Help me get him. Help me get him!

Okay. Okay. He's… your left paw, toward your face. Get ready. Has to be fast.

I'm ready.

Now!

I jerked my paw, claws extended toward my face.

Tom shrieked. I couldn't see him. But I felt something squirming. Like a worm on a fishhook. The snake was impaled on my claws.

No! Tom cried in outrage.

I brought my paw to my mouth.

Sorry, I said vaguely.

Jake, stop her! the Yeerk screamed with Tom's mouth.

I bit down on the snake.

I lay there in suspended animation.

I felt myself floating.

The bear was melting. Old grizzly bear, my friend. Good old bear.

I demorphed. The snake was still in my mouth. Motionless.

I demorphed.

I was Rachel again, the human Rachel, alive, unhurt. I could have bounded up and gone off to the mall to shop. Unfortunately, I still had something to finish first.

I spit the snake out.

I saw the viewscreen. I could see Cassie, Jake, Marco, Ax.

And Tobias.

He had morphed. He was his human self once more. He was crying. I'm not sure if it was with relief or worry or both.

I turned away. I still had a job to finish.

The lioness I had knocked unconscious was beginning to wake and the buffalo was struggling to remove the dead lion from its horns, keeping it occupied, although I knew it would be free in a few minutes.

I began to morph once more. Back to grizzly. I could feel the familiar changes as shaggy dark brown fur began to grow over my body and my insides squished and changed and relocated themselves. I felt my nose and mouth push out forming my snout as my sight dimmed and my hearing and smell sharpened.

I completed my morph just as the lion regained its wits and the buffalo finally succeeded in freeing itself.

The lioness charged first, seeing as the buffalo still had to orient himself.

I was fully rejuvenated and ready for battle, although I was tired.

The lioness leaped for my face but one swipe from my heavy paw sent her reeling in midair. She succeeded in righting herself and began to charge again but it was too late. Another powerful strike and she lay still, her skull crushed.

I turned my attention back to the buffalo who was ready to come at me again.

He charged at me, though again the smooth floor hindered him, and I wasn't about to make the same mistake again. I waited until he was close then rolled off to one side and, placing both paws onto its shoulder, used to momentum of his run to push him with all my might toward the nearest console side.

The strength of my push plus the slipperiness of the blood-covered floor sent the buffalo hurtling at a tremendous speed toward the edge of the console. He hit with a loud CRRCK, which suggested his spine had snapped.

I was exhausted.

I sank down onto the floor and began to demorph.

The changes seemed to happen slowly and when I looked up at the viewscreen I could see that the others had already demorphed as well. Cassie had a pained expression on her face. Marco's expression was unreadable. Tobias's expression was one of pain, grief, and overwhelming relief.

Then I saw Jake.

His face was one of control. One of indifference, composure.

But his eyes…

His eyes were haunted, filled with pain, grief, utter disgust for himself. The eyes of those who have seen something so repulsive as this war, and known that they had taken part in causing it.

And I knew…

I knew… that my own eyes held the same expression.