ANIMORPHS: The Game Chapter 11: Cassie, an animorphs fanfic

CHAPTER 11

Cassie

WE KNEW THAT IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT INSIDE THE GAP we would have to go as humans. The Yeerks would be expecting us to be in some other animal form and they would kill any animals that tried to make their way in.

The mall was closed and the Gap was dark, but people were still being let in. They had what looked like metal detectors at the back entrance from the parking lot. I assumed it was to make sure that no one had any hidden dracon beams. We had to split up because the entrances to the Yeerk pool were in two separate dressing rooms - one for guys, one for girls.

Rachel, Allie, and I went into the dressing room and went to the last stall. The entrance hidden behind the mirror was already open. We crawled inside and made our way down to the Yeerk pool.

Allie didn't even pretend to be surprised by the Yeerk pool. You would think that a newcomer would be blown away by this discovery, like I was when we first started this whole saving the world business. But she had no response. Not a gasp or a raised eyebrow or anything. It made me feel a little better about what we were going to do.

The plan was that we would meet in the underground bathrooms - yes, they had bathrooms down there for some reason. Then we would morph, Jake would give the command to attack, Allie would go out running, and she would be dead.

Dead. I still didn't know if I could pull this off. This was as filthy as murder.

The bathrooms were on the opposite end of the Yeerk pool, so we had a long way to walk. There was a huge stage that covered the center of the pool and chairs set up all around it. Like a press conference without the microphones.

About a dozen Hork-Baijr and Taxxons walked towards the stage, protecting someone in the middle. The member of the Council of Thirteen. I wanted to get a good look at him but I knew it would be suspicious if he saw me, though it was next to impossible he was so heavily guarded. By the time we reached the bathroom he had already begun his speech. We walked inside, the guys were already there.

"Let's get this over with," Jake said. "But I think we should go into separate stalls, this could get ugly."

"Good idea," I replied.

"Anyway, the plan is that we going to run out of here attack on my cue. We aim for everyone that's on that platform." He headed into one of the stalls.

"Jake," Allie said, stopping him. "I hate to be a scaredy cat, but -" she paused. "Can I change my vote? I don't like this. This isn't right. It's too risky."

Then again, there were those times when I thought she was a Yeerk.

"You haven't even fought in a battle yet and you're already wimping out?" Rachel exploded. Allie jumped at the sound of her booming voice. "We're down here with some of our most deadly enemies and we have a chance to take them out and you want to stop?"

Allie swallowed. She didn't say anything.

"I don't know Jake, I've got a bad a feeling about this too," Marco said.

I turned to Jake and gave him the evil eye. He didn't tell Marco about our plan yet, otherwise Marco would have flipped out by now. He would have done anything to stop Allie from dying. I know it, I saw it in his eyes.

Jake sighed. "This is our only chance, you guys. It's now or never." He turned off the bathroom light and headed into a stall. I went into the one right next to him and began to morph into fly so that we could high tail it outta there when chaos broke out.

Why didn't you tell Marco? I demanded.

I will, he replied. Just wait.

Jake, I don't know if I can through with this.

You have to Cassie. If you want the human race to survive, you're going to have to suck it up and let her die.

You mean kill her, Jake, I said. We're killing her.

He didn't answer me.

We could hear Visser Three - well, Visser Two's speech outside. And now that I am promoted to Visser Two, I would like to announce myself as a candidate for Visser One. I know this will take some investigation by the council.

Everyone ready? Jake asked. After everyone replied, he continued. On my cue, we break down the door, and we attack. Ready? Now!

There was a mad scramble of toes as I heard the sound of a gorilla. Marco! How was Jake going to stop him.

I heard the gorilla stop. Jake was explaining it to him now?! Now?!

No! Allie! Stop! The gorilla let out a howl as the wooden door of the bathroom splintered.

I buzzed outside of the stall to see what was going on. Marco was outraged.

All of you have been planning and plotting this behind my back? You're killing Allie, you know that? You're killing her right now and turning her over to the Yeerks. I can't believe this. I don't care if she's evil or not, I'm going out there will her. They're going to have to kill me before they can get to her!

The gorilla ran out the bathroom door.

Great plan, Jake. Now we're down two animorphs, Rachel snapped.

Our numbers will decrease even more if we stay here, Prince Jake, Ax said. I'm afraid that the only thing to do is leave Marco and Allie and to get ourselves out of here.

I can't do this, Jake said. Marco is my best friend. I should have trusted him. I should have trusted his judgement.

But Marco doesn't think with his brain, I said. Marco thinks with his heart.

"That's why I should have trusted him." Jake had morphed by to human. He ran outside the door.

This is awful! I cried. What are we going to do?

High tail it out of here! Tobias shouted. Head for the door.

I must follow my prince, Ax said. I could hear the hooves against the hard marble floor of the bathroom as he scrambled out the door.

This was wrong, this was so wrong! What were we thinking?! Now Jake and Marco would be dead, all to save the human race? This was ridiculous. I miss my old life where all I had to save was some poor defenseless bird who broke its wing and now it's my own race! Now my friends were dead?

The Crayak was right, I said. Allie was the key to the end of the animorphs.

I morphed out of my fly form. I couldn't just let Jake die without a fight. I guess I understood why Marco had endangered us all and ran out after Allie.

As I approached the door I could hear the council member speaking. Amazingly, they hadn't noticed our small group of resistance yet. Allie was still running for the stage. Marco was after her, stuck in-between a morph of human and gorilla, not able to thought speak or human speak. Jake was running after him, shouting, though it could barely be heard because of the council member's voice.

If there is anyone else who would like to announce themselves to also run for Visser One, please speak now.

No one would dare speak against me, Visser Two shouted. He was in his Andalite form now, a sense of intimidation overwhelming me.

Suddenly the ground shook. Flashes of light everywhere. Dracon beams!

Allie stopped in her tracks. A man who was guarded by other creatures, ones I've only seen once before. When we were battling with the Crayak we saw creatures similar to them on another planet. They were human like and could change color, like a chameleon.

The whole room seemed to gasp as the man step forward and I realized I recognized him from somewhere. I just couldn't put my finger on it...

"I challenge Visser Two!" the man called.

And who are you? Visser Two sneered.

"I am Voxfra056, traveler of worlds."

No you're not, Visser Two said. Voxfra is dead. His ship when down when we were battling the Adalite dome ship.

"Yes, unfortunately, my ship did," the man replied, walking up onto the platform stage. "But I survived. We survived," he gestured to his guards. "And we're here to reclaim what was once ours."

I caught up to Jake and Marco and Ax. Marco now full human and Ax was in his Andalite form. But Allie ahead of them, still in her snow leopard form. I could hear people running behind me. I turned. It was Rachel and Tobias.

"Who is Voxfra, Ax?" Jake asked.

He is supposed to be dead, Ax sneered. My brother's ship took him down before I crashed into the sea. He is an ancient Yeerk. One of the first to introduce host bodies to the Yeerk homeworld. It is because of him the Yeerks now take control over others lives. Ax clenched his fists in anger, something he must have picked up from one of us.

"And what about those...creatures next to him?" Rachel asked.

They are machines, Ax answered, morphing to his human form. "His own death army. He programmed them himself. But he had a different host body back then. It was the king of Zolecvaminor. He used to be the head leader of the council of thirteen until he died - well, disappeared. One must be a Visser again before a council member so he has to start at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak."

"Let's get out of here," I said. "We're all together and no one has seemed to notice Allie. We need to leave."

"Ax?" Jake asked. "Get her attention, she can't hear us shouting."

He seemed to concentrate for a moment, then Allie turned around and looked towards us. You guys get out of here now, she said.

"What's she talking about?" Marco asked.

GET OUT! RUN! There's something I have to do. I'll meet you back at the dumpster.

"Oh no, what's she going to do?" I said.

"Probably have a little conference with her Yeerk friends. Great, now we're dead!" Rachel shouted.

"I think we should do what she says," Jake declared. "Let's just get out while we can."

Please go, Allie begged. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I'll tell you everything at the dumpster. I promise. Everything.

"But..." Marco stammered.

GO! NOW! She made a bounding leap onto the stage. The underground cave erupted into pandemonium. Jake took off up the nearest staircase, dragging Marco with him. Ax, Rachel, and Tobias followed. I turned and looked at Allie, trying to figure out what she was doing. I saw her attack Voxfra, a pool of blood seeping out from under him.

Then I recognized him.