Disclaimer: Mdm Applegate? Just sue me. At least I'll get to meet you in
person... Won't I?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I told Jake my plans to break into the Yerrk pool. Jake agreed. So Marco, Ax, Cassie and Jake would create a distraction and lure the guarded away from the door I needed to go through. Rachel was to be my back up. My cockroach back up.
"Rachel, stop scrabbling!" I hissed. "You're giving me the hibbie-jibbies!"
I can't help it! Your skin is seriously smooth. What soap do you use?
"Rachel, focus. I am a hawk in a human disguise. Work with me."
Oh yeah. Ok, am on your shoulder. Staying there. I prayed no one would notice the tiny bump under my right sleeve, and I prayed Rachel would never find out how much I wanted to squeah her.
"Andalite!" Marco yelled. "Big blue Andalite!" I turned to see Ax, in full blue-deer glory, standing behind a group of trees. He waggled his tail, like a haughty taunt. The guards glared angrily, but they apparently didn't dare to leave their posts. They did dare to aim their guns at Ax, though.
Hey you! Jake jabbed a mighty tiger paw at a gard, bowling him over. Chase the andalite. Go on. The other guard hissed angrily and leveled his gun at Cassie. Cassie leapt into the air and clamped her wolf teeth into his hand, forcing him to drop the gun. Tobias! Hurry up! Jake shouted as he began to chase the controller towards Ax. I tried the door. It was unlocked. Yay. I went inside and gasped. Long spirals of stairs led downwards. And there was an unmistakable stench.
The Yeerk Pool.
I looked down. It seemed to bubble and boil, but that was really just the Yeerks rocking on the surface. I shivered even though it was warm. Rochel scurried out from my sleeve and I set her on the ground. She demorphed. I demorphed.
Erin, can you hear me? Scratch your head if you can. In my hawk morph, I could see Erin standing next to Visser Three. Her right hand kept twitching, as if she'd like to wrap it around his neck and squeeze tightly. She scratched her head casually. Good. Listen, I don't know what you're up to, but if they find out you don't have a Yeerk in your head, they're going to be very suspicious. I'm going to morph a Yeerk. I need you to find a safe, hidden place where we can meet. Find that place now. Erin spoke to Visser Three. He brushed her off as if she was a fly, his interest rivetted on only one person now.
Charlotte.
They had shackled her to a wall. Mr. Bloyd guarded her, taunted her. It made my blood boil. Charlotte was so afraid. She screamed every time Mr. Bloyd moved out of her view and she saw the Yeerk Pool. I knew right then that even if she didn't know anything about the Andalites, I had to save her.
Erin had found her safe, hidden place. It was a tiny cubicle, meant to be a toilet.
"Tobias, I don't feel safe doing this." Rachel said as she picked me up.
Believe me when I say neither do I. I was about to do the crazy. Since my mass and strength made diving down into the Yeerk Pool a slow, very visible business, Rachel was going to lob me down over the Yeerk Pool so that I could absorb some Yeerk DNA. If I didn't feel good about being thrown head first from a height, I felt worse about fishing from a pool of slugs.
"Here we go." Rachel grunted as she swung me over the edge of the staircase. I plummeted down, gathering speed, tucking my deathers into my body to get the most streamlined shape possible. The wavs of the pool rose to meet me.
Flare!
I spread my wings at the last possible moment and raked my feet over the sea of writhing bodies. I hoked my talons into one and concentrated. As son as I was done I let go and soared over the pool, headed for Erin. Amazingly, no one had seen me. Probably because Visser Three was terrorising the guards from earlier.
You left your post. He was saying in this deadly calm voice. Even after I warned you not to, as there are Andalite bandits in the vicinity.
"I... I... I saw an Andalite, Vi... Visser." The poor guy was probably peeing in his pants. I hurried under the door of Erin's toilet cubicle. She was there, waiting for me. Rachel had joined her.
Erin, give Rachel the dracon beam. I said immediately.
"No." Erin was holding it. She gripped it tighter.
"Erin, if Visser Three sees you with it, he's going to know you aren't the real deal." Rachel put out her hand. "Trust me." Erin stared at her for what seemed like eternity. Then she put the dracon beam onto Rachel's hand. I began to morph into the Yeerk.
First my feathers disappeared. They clung to my body then melted away. Then my legs went and I fell forward. The hawk's tiny ears and eyes were still with me, and I could hear the squishing sound of my slime against the floor. Finally, my eyes and ears closed. I was in complete darkness. I was a Yeerk.
Rachel, pick me up and put me next to Erin's ear. I said. Erin, you're probably disagreeing right now. Look, I don't like this much either, but it's either this or your death.
I felt hands reach under my and lift me up. Felt myself pressed against something. Something with a small opening in it. I pulled back, disgusted by myself, but the hands pushed me closer. The Yeerk in me knew what to do. I pressed myself, squeezed myself into Erin's ear, flattened myself over her brain and covered it.
I felt her disgust. I felt her hostility.
I felt her fear.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I told Jake my plans to break into the Yerrk pool. Jake agreed. So Marco, Ax, Cassie and Jake would create a distraction and lure the guarded away from the door I needed to go through. Rachel was to be my back up. My cockroach back up.
"Rachel, stop scrabbling!" I hissed. "You're giving me the hibbie-jibbies!"
I can't help it! Your skin is seriously smooth. What soap do you use?
"Rachel, focus. I am a hawk in a human disguise. Work with me."
Oh yeah. Ok, am on your shoulder. Staying there. I prayed no one would notice the tiny bump under my right sleeve, and I prayed Rachel would never find out how much I wanted to squeah her.
"Andalite!" Marco yelled. "Big blue Andalite!" I turned to see Ax, in full blue-deer glory, standing behind a group of trees. He waggled his tail, like a haughty taunt. The guards glared angrily, but they apparently didn't dare to leave their posts. They did dare to aim their guns at Ax, though.
Hey you! Jake jabbed a mighty tiger paw at a gard, bowling him over. Chase the andalite. Go on. The other guard hissed angrily and leveled his gun at Cassie. Cassie leapt into the air and clamped her wolf teeth into his hand, forcing him to drop the gun. Tobias! Hurry up! Jake shouted as he began to chase the controller towards Ax. I tried the door. It was unlocked. Yay. I went inside and gasped. Long spirals of stairs led downwards. And there was an unmistakable stench.
The Yeerk Pool.
I looked down. It seemed to bubble and boil, but that was really just the Yeerks rocking on the surface. I shivered even though it was warm. Rochel scurried out from my sleeve and I set her on the ground. She demorphed. I demorphed.
Erin, can you hear me? Scratch your head if you can. In my hawk morph, I could see Erin standing next to Visser Three. Her right hand kept twitching, as if she'd like to wrap it around his neck and squeeze tightly. She scratched her head casually. Good. Listen, I don't know what you're up to, but if they find out you don't have a Yeerk in your head, they're going to be very suspicious. I'm going to morph a Yeerk. I need you to find a safe, hidden place where we can meet. Find that place now. Erin spoke to Visser Three. He brushed her off as if she was a fly, his interest rivetted on only one person now.
Charlotte.
They had shackled her to a wall. Mr. Bloyd guarded her, taunted her. It made my blood boil. Charlotte was so afraid. She screamed every time Mr. Bloyd moved out of her view and she saw the Yeerk Pool. I knew right then that even if she didn't know anything about the Andalites, I had to save her.
Erin had found her safe, hidden place. It was a tiny cubicle, meant to be a toilet.
"Tobias, I don't feel safe doing this." Rachel said as she picked me up.
Believe me when I say neither do I. I was about to do the crazy. Since my mass and strength made diving down into the Yeerk Pool a slow, very visible business, Rachel was going to lob me down over the Yeerk Pool so that I could absorb some Yeerk DNA. If I didn't feel good about being thrown head first from a height, I felt worse about fishing from a pool of slugs.
"Here we go." Rachel grunted as she swung me over the edge of the staircase. I plummeted down, gathering speed, tucking my deathers into my body to get the most streamlined shape possible. The wavs of the pool rose to meet me.
Flare!
I spread my wings at the last possible moment and raked my feet over the sea of writhing bodies. I hoked my talons into one and concentrated. As son as I was done I let go and soared over the pool, headed for Erin. Amazingly, no one had seen me. Probably because Visser Three was terrorising the guards from earlier.
You left your post. He was saying in this deadly calm voice. Even after I warned you not to, as there are Andalite bandits in the vicinity.
"I... I... I saw an Andalite, Vi... Visser." The poor guy was probably peeing in his pants. I hurried under the door of Erin's toilet cubicle. She was there, waiting for me. Rachel had joined her.
Erin, give Rachel the dracon beam. I said immediately.
"No." Erin was holding it. She gripped it tighter.
"Erin, if Visser Three sees you with it, he's going to know you aren't the real deal." Rachel put out her hand. "Trust me." Erin stared at her for what seemed like eternity. Then she put the dracon beam onto Rachel's hand. I began to morph into the Yeerk.
First my feathers disappeared. They clung to my body then melted away. Then my legs went and I fell forward. The hawk's tiny ears and eyes were still with me, and I could hear the squishing sound of my slime against the floor. Finally, my eyes and ears closed. I was in complete darkness. I was a Yeerk.
Rachel, pick me up and put me next to Erin's ear. I said. Erin, you're probably disagreeing right now. Look, I don't like this much either, but it's either this or your death.
I felt hands reach under my and lift me up. Felt myself pressed against something. Something with a small opening in it. I pulled back, disgusted by myself, but the hands pushed me closer. The Yeerk in me knew what to do. I pressed myself, squeezed myself into Erin's ear, flattened myself over her brain and covered it.
I felt her disgust. I felt her hostility.
I felt her fear.