DISCLAIMER: Nope, they still ain't mine. Short disclaimer, and no note too. Cuz I'm not in a quirky mood.

NOTE: Hehe, just kidding here's a note. I wanna thank everyone for the reviews. I don't think I did that yet so, uh, thanks. I followed some suggestions so yeah **grins like a idiot** Also, I missed a huge mistake in my fic. I think someone already noticed but uh, if you didn't I'm fixing it in this chapter (or trying) so I'm sorry. Again. I'm still learning hehehe. Wow I suck at this. . .Sorry, that's the low self-esteem talking.

Tobias -

No one said anything. Being a controller was not a good experience. Jake spent three days as a controller a while back. Fortunetly we found him out early and tied him up in a shack until the yeerk in his head starved. Afterward he never talked much about it, not even to Cassie

Then Ax broke the silence. Prince Jake, I'm afraid I must volunteer. It would be better if it were not you because you have families. And the yeerk would not be able to infest Tobias in his hawk form. I glared at him.

Jake shook his head. "Your normal body is too dangerous to give to a yeerk. You could easily slice and dice us when trying to tie you up. It would be easier to overpower a human."

Ax knows perfectly well the yeerk could infest me. I could go human and demorph to hawk the same way Visser Three could morph with the yeerk in HIS head. I said. So I volunteer, it's my stupid plan anyway.

Rachel crossed her arms and looked at me like she was proud and angry at me at the same time.

"No way we're all in this, we could try and get the Chee to pass as one of us." She said.

Marco sighed loudly. "So what, do we draw straws? Correction: in our completely bizarre circumstance brought about by the utter fact that we're all probably going INSANE. . .do we draw glowing pieces of broccoli?"

Cassie stooped and picked up five stalks that were lying around. They weren't particularly glowy because they had been lying on the ground for a while. She broke one to be half the size of the others and placed them in her fist. She held it out.

"Shortest stalk goes. Who's first?" Cassie asked. Marco rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Mathematically there is a better chance of me not getting it if I go first." He said. He began to reach out.

"Didn't you say that once before?" Rachel smirked. "And got picked first?" Marco pulled his hand away.

"Oh yeah."

Jake rolled his eyes and pulled a stalk. Long.

Rachel glared at me silently.

Not this time. I said. I knew what she was thinking.

Rachel picked. Long.

Marco stared at me. "Now, mathematically, I have like the best chance of picking it don't I?"

"One third chance." Cassie said, shrugging. He picked.

Long.

Marco grinned idiotically.

My turn. I knew exactly which stalk to pull.

"No cheating." Jake warned.

Jeez, why would I cheat for this? Besides it's too dark. I lied. I pecked up the tiny stalk.

"And the winner is Bird-Boy." Marco announced.

"You up to it?" Cassie asked, looking at me. I think she knew I cheated. She dropped her long stalk.

Let's do it!

"That's my line." Rachel complained.

I grinned (Note: Grinning bird. Hehe whoa, that makes an interesting nightmare.). Sorry. Please don't remove my gizzard.

"You can keep it. This time." She was joking around, but it seemed strained. I looked at her. Rachel glared back at me while no one was paying attention. So she knew I cheated. Oh well.

"You know this works out okay. Tobias doesn't have many battle morphs." Cassie said thoughtfully.

I started to demorph to human. When I was completed I sat next to Rachel. She looked angry.

"You cheated." She whispered.

I tried out a look of confusion on my human face. "Huh?"

She just shook her head.

We waited for Ghanin to wake up again. Hopefully he would get up soon. In the mean time we sat in the dirt, babbling like we've never babbled before. I saw Cassie run her bare toe across the dirt writing her name in boredom. Jake grinned and used his finger to write "JAKE" underneath. It would have been a pretty nice and romantic scene, had Rachel and Marco not been there.

"Cool." Rachel said with a smirk on her face. She drew a big heart around the names and added a "4ever" like those corny messages in bathroom stalls. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You're heart looks like a baseball mitt, Rach." I commented. She laughed and slapped my shoulder playfully. I enjoyed it, she couldn't do that sort of thing when I was a hawk.

"You better erase that before Marco - " Jake started.

"Ooooooh, what have we heeeeerreee?" Marco squealed in a high-pitched parody of an airhead. He read the heart aloud. Cassie was blushing so furiously she was sweating. Jake was glowing so red he was getting brighter than the broccoli.

Marco started to write more. "Cassie I will love you for all eternity 'cos I'm a big manly man and I (heart) you 4eva and eva and eva - " Rachel stopped him by shuffling his message and slapping him in the back of the neck.

"I thought it was pretty good." I piped in.

Though I have questions on the grammar and such. Ax said. But the message is rather clear and concise.

Jake and Cassie were suffering through all of this while Nuke looked on in confusion. Suddenly we heard a scraping noise. Ghanin.

You FOOLS! he screeched in our heads. Surely you will be severely tortured now that you have injured the Visser's loyal servant!

"Oh shut u-up." Rachel moaned.

Jake stood up. "Listen we have a deal. The Mercora body is damaged, if you let him go we will let you infest one of us." Ghanin stared. "All of us are morph-capable" Jake added.

Surely you have some sort of plan to deceive me. the yeerk scoffed.

Jake shook his head. "You're right, we've been beaten, you know who we are and Visser Three is waiting outside for us. We're doomed, so we were going to surrender. But we want you to let this poor Mercora go. Let him live his last moments of freedom before your great empire enslaves his race and ours."

Foolish humans. Even you admit our might! then the yeerk sneered. I will not comply, who's to say you will not kill me if I leave this pitiful body?

"Look, we're screwed either way. You have nothing to lose and we won't gain anything in killing you, so we won't." I said. This was nuts. No way it was going to agree. He'd have to be a total idiot!

Simpletons! You wish to free this Mercora? He will be free a few minutes and then be enslaved again. A false victory! I will comply with your foolish, sympathetic plan. he said. If I die you will surely be punished.

My jaw dropped. This yeerk really WAS insane!

"Jeez, what an idiot." Marco commented quietly so Ghanin wouldn't hear..

He's a yeerk. Ax said simply.

I will only submit if the one I will infest will hold his head directly next to this creature's canal. I want to enter straight into his head, if I do not feel it I will return to this host. the yeerk said. Do not think you could pull me out. I will cling and even if you kill me, part of me will live on in this Mercora.

I frowned. I'd been kind of hoping we could just stomp the yeerk after it came out.

"Quick question, where's the canal? I mean, where's the ears?" Rachel asked. We all had a puzzled expression on our faces.

"Uhhh. . ."

"Nuke? Where is your ear canal?" Cassie asked. "Or whatever canal can lead into the brain?"

She blinked at us, which was very disturbing. The same area the large, furry human kicked.

Rachel stared. "The same place as . . .?"

Marco blinked. "What!? Holy crap, that's weird."

No more than having external ears. Nuke said defensively.

I watched, um, between uhhh, that area. A yeerk began to squeeze out from the hole. I quickly shoved my head under there, taking a huge breath. I saw from the corner of my eye the dark slug dangling from the hole. It looked just like. . .

"Ghanin is taking a crap." Marco giggled. Rachel rolled her eyes.

I felt it make contact and swiftly slither in. Rachel was staring at me, digging red nailmarks into her own hands. I tried to give her a reassuring look but I felt a sharp pain in my inner ear. This was it. Suddenly. . .

"Tobias!" Rachel yelled. My knees gave way and I hit the dirt.

NO! the yeerk screamed in my head. It knew our plan. Nonononono!!

I seized control for a millisecond. "He kn-!" I started. He took the control back.

"You fools!" he screamed. He rolled me out from underneath Ghanin. "You think you can deceive me!?" Jake dove for me and tackled me. He and Rachel held me down and Ax quickly raised his blade to my throat.

They got you. I told the yeerk. He ignored my comment.

"Lies! All lies!" he screeched madly. He poured through my memories, gaping at each one, fascinated. But he was still nuts.

YOU WILL PAY! he yelled at me.

Drop dead. I said back.

Feathers sprouted on my face. He was demorphing. Why was he doing that? Ax was standing right there!

I do not care, I am dead anyway! the yeerk howled at me. Great now he's suicidal too.

Shut up, human! he said.

Make me. I dared.

Then he pulled up a particularly bad nightmare I had a few nights ago. We were on a mission, Hork-Bajir were pouring in at all sides. It was hopeless. The others were all lying in a pool of blood, breathing weakly. I was a hawk, flying outside, somehow unable to go and help. Then I saw Rachel, in her human form. She was bleeding. I screamed her name. Then the Taxxons came. I watched what they did to her and her screams echoed in my head.

NOO! NOOOOO! STOP! NOOOO! I screamed in my own head, unable to stop the nightmare from replaying itself.

Not so smart now, are you, human? Is that what you are? Human?

"He's going hawk!" Rachel called. Her voice broke me out of the dream.

Prince Jake! Ax called. He was unsure what to do with his tail.

"Marco morph!" Jake bellowed.

I will warn the others. Nuke said, almost in hysterics. She forcefully pulled Ghanin up, who was still a bit dazed, and dragged him out. He looked at me.

Be strong. he said quietly in my head.

Fools! You will kill your friend!? the crazy suicidal yeerk said, almost fully hawk. From there he could easily morph something else. Ax's tailblade was wavering. Jake and Rachel held on to me as long as they could. I bit their thumbs.

"Ow!" Jake yelled. He grabbed my talons and Rachel grabbed me by the beak.

I will not die easily! the yeerk roared. Then a blade sprouted from my wing. Hork Bajir!

Marco was not even half-morphed yet. Ax seemed unsure what to do, and I doubted he would kill me.

Unfortunately the yeerk knew it as soon as I did. A suicidal yeerk was definitely not a good thing.

Hmmm, I'm gonna have to go with Good ole Tobias on this one. Suicidal yeerks are not a good thing. That's all folks, review. I already know there's some, uh, screw ups. Hehe, I'm WORKING on it, uh, REVIEW please. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry I just suddenly felt the spirited urge to write, you know how it is.