Chapter Twenty-Four:
"Tobias!" Jake yelled. "I can't do anything until you calm down and tell me what's happening. Calm down!"
Ever since he had arrived, Tobias had been babbling more or less incoherently.
With an arm that would have made any defense player proud, Jake reached up and slapped the hysterical bird as he flew in circles around the shack.
Tobias spilled air, and landed gracelessly in the dirt. Rachel! he gasped.
"Yes, Rachel," agreed Jake. "Tell us what's happening. Don't fly! Just sit there and tell us what happened!"
Tobias struggled to right himself. I could see his chest heaving, and he opened and closed his wings in agitation. Rachel. She said we should scout out the water tower beforehand. Check the layout. She said squirrel was the perfect morph to do it in, since it wouldn't attract the attention of the dracon beams. How could I have let her do that, Jake? How the heck could I have let her do that? WHAT KIND OF A BIRD AM I? he demanded, outraged.
A bird that needs to lower his cardiovascular pressure and tell his Prince what the situation is so that an action plan can be made to solve the problem at hand, Ax supplied.
Miraculously, it seemed to do the trick. Tobias slowed his breathing. Stopped flapping wildly. Stopped shrieking.
"So she climbed the tower, Tobias?"
Yeah, he said, shakily. Yeah. But the dracon beams did lock onto her. She's in a nook where she's out of sensor range, but she can't morph and she can't get out. And she's only got . . .
One hour and twenty-five minutes.
An hour and twenty-five minutes left in morph!
"Okay," Jake said. "Marco, we're rushing Operation: Kong."
"How?" I countered. "We don't have an Ann Darrow."
"Yes, we do."
"Who?"
"Cassie."
"Are you insane? She's a Controller!"
"Not a whole lot of options, here, Marco."
Question.
"Yeah, Ax?"
Who is Ann Darrow?
"After this is over, we'll sit you down with King Kong, the movie. For now, we have to swing into action," Jake said. "Suffice it to say, Cassie's got Rachel's job."
Ah.
"Um, problem," I frowned.
"Just what we need."
"How are we going to get Cassie to the water tower?"
Jake considered, then wrenched the door open. He stormed over to where Cassie sat, and grabbed her by the collar. Then he hauled her, chair and all, up in the air to his eye level. "Listen up, Yeerk," he grated. "Morph mouse *now*. This is not a negotiation."
Cassie's eyes widened, and her head nodded. The Yeerk was scared. I would have been intimidated by that, too.
"Marco, wolf. Now."
The Yeerk and I both raced into morph. It was done well before I was, but Jake had a firm grip on the mouse. As soon as I was fully wolf, Jake shoved Cassie into my mouth.
"Carry her," he said. "And don't kill her unless she tries anything."
I was impressed. I'm sure Cassie disapproved, but I could feel the mouse in my mouth shaking. Jake's plan was working.
"Move out," he barked. We stumbled out into the blazing afternoon sun. Ax had already morphed. Jake went peregrine falcon.
As soon as he had thoughtspeak, he flapped up into the air. Ax. How long does Rachel have in morph?
Approximately one hour and twenty minutes.
Half an hour to get to the tower, I calculated. Half an hour to put the plan into effect. Twenty minutes to rescue Rachel.
Let's fly, Jake ordered.
An hour and twenty minutes to save the world, Tobias muttered, darkly.
"Tobias!" Jake yelled. "I can't do anything until you calm down and tell me what's happening. Calm down!"
Ever since he had arrived, Tobias had been babbling more or less incoherently.
With an arm that would have made any defense player proud, Jake reached up and slapped the hysterical bird as he flew in circles around the shack.
Tobias spilled air, and landed gracelessly in the dirt. Rachel! he gasped.
"Yes, Rachel," agreed Jake. "Tell us what's happening. Don't fly! Just sit there and tell us what happened!"
Tobias struggled to right himself. I could see his chest heaving, and he opened and closed his wings in agitation. Rachel. She said we should scout out the water tower beforehand. Check the layout. She said squirrel was the perfect morph to do it in, since it wouldn't attract the attention of the dracon beams. How could I have let her do that, Jake? How the heck could I have let her do that? WHAT KIND OF A BIRD AM I? he demanded, outraged.
A bird that needs to lower his cardiovascular pressure and tell his Prince what the situation is so that an action plan can be made to solve the problem at hand, Ax supplied.
Miraculously, it seemed to do the trick. Tobias slowed his breathing. Stopped flapping wildly. Stopped shrieking.
"So she climbed the tower, Tobias?"
Yeah, he said, shakily. Yeah. But the dracon beams did lock onto her. She's in a nook where she's out of sensor range, but she can't morph and she can't get out. And she's only got . . .
One hour and twenty-five minutes.
An hour and twenty-five minutes left in morph!
"Okay," Jake said. "Marco, we're rushing Operation: Kong."
"How?" I countered. "We don't have an Ann Darrow."
"Yes, we do."
"Who?"
"Cassie."
"Are you insane? She's a Controller!"
"Not a whole lot of options, here, Marco."
Question.
"Yeah, Ax?"
Who is Ann Darrow?
"After this is over, we'll sit you down with King Kong, the movie. For now, we have to swing into action," Jake said. "Suffice it to say, Cassie's got Rachel's job."
Ah.
"Um, problem," I frowned.
"Just what we need."
"How are we going to get Cassie to the water tower?"
Jake considered, then wrenched the door open. He stormed over to where Cassie sat, and grabbed her by the collar. Then he hauled her, chair and all, up in the air to his eye level. "Listen up, Yeerk," he grated. "Morph mouse *now*. This is not a negotiation."
Cassie's eyes widened, and her head nodded. The Yeerk was scared. I would have been intimidated by that, too.
"Marco, wolf. Now."
The Yeerk and I both raced into morph. It was done well before I was, but Jake had a firm grip on the mouse. As soon as I was fully wolf, Jake shoved Cassie into my mouth.
"Carry her," he said. "And don't kill her unless she tries anything."
I was impressed. I'm sure Cassie disapproved, but I could feel the mouse in my mouth shaking. Jake's plan was working.
"Move out," he barked. We stumbled out into the blazing afternoon sun. Ax had already morphed. Jake went peregrine falcon.
As soon as he had thoughtspeak, he flapped up into the air. Ax. How long does Rachel have in morph?
Approximately one hour and twenty minutes.
Half an hour to get to the tower, I calculated. Half an hour to put the plan into effect. Twenty minutes to rescue Rachel.
Let's fly, Jake ordered.
An hour and twenty minutes to save the world, Tobias muttered, darkly.