Chapter 4 –

Rachel

It isn't all that great being dead. While you have a sense of what is happening around you, it's really vague.

Try this. Close your eyes, Put a clothespin on your nose, and tape your mouth shut. You can hear the world around you, but that's about it. Use that sound to paint a picture in your mind of what could be happening around you.

That's what being dead is like. That's what I put up with for two years. Hearing Tobias, but not being able to see him, touch him, hold him, or kiss him.

Now you know why I reacted like I did when I saw Tobias.

***

Marco

Yeah. Both happy couples were back together. Yipee.

Well, I knew Jake pretty well. He was my best friend, after all. I knew he still had feelings for Cassie. Knew from my many conversations with Cassie

That she still had feelings for Jake.

When Jake had that whole "brick wall" thing going on between him and Cassie, he had confided in me. Whenever he

wanted to talk to another human being about what he was thinking (which wasn't very often since Rachel died} he had talked to me about it. I, being

The Great Peacemaker, would relay information to Cassie.

Figured it might help them get back together, If Cassie knew what was going on inside Jake's head.

Which was why I was not surprised to see him shoot me daggers after he and Cassie got done with their little kiss and make up thing and continued talking.

Either Cassie had spilled the beans, or he had figured it out himself.

Oh well. He'd probably talk to me if we made it out of here alive.

Either that, or beat the living crap out of me.

Could be even worse than that, he could challenge me to a game of basketball.

I'd be lucky to survive. 

And then there was bird-boy.

I had, of course, felt bad for him.

His life had gone from bad to worse, in a matter of two hours.

Trapped as a bird.

Then, having Rachel, the only love he had ever known, ripped away from his life.

I couldn't even imagine the joy and happiness he must have been swimming in when he saw Rachel again.

Your life handed back to you.

Good for him. He deserved it. I decided at that moment not to make a joke about that particular situation.

Rachel would probably morph to grizzly and rip my head off. She's just crazy like that.

Cuckoo Xena. Nutso Wonder woman. An Insane Lara Croft.  All of these names would fit Rachel.

Oh well…

I plopped down and enjoyed the view of the universe. I knew when it was a good time to be sentimental. I was getting that 'funky lovey dovey' vibe from everyone around me.

I guess those $1000 yoga classes were doing me some good.

'Might as well enjoy it,' I thought to myself. 'It may be the last thing you ever do.'

***

Ax

The most unsettling experience of my relatively young Andalite life had just occurred.

I remembered being enslaved by a being called "The One." Remembered meeting it while chained and shackled and being prodded by metallic sticks emanating electricity.

It was nothing more than a Controller.

A Human Controller with whom we (the Animorphs) were all familiar.

I listened as he explained how a 'near death' experience had done something to his Yeerk brain.

He could now control matter with a single thought.

I believe humans call this "Telekinesis."

He had used this power to bring even greater control over his fellow Yeerks.

He had learned how to expand his power to control their actions. Manipulate their thoughts.  That, and the threat of Kadrona starvation had been enough to bend them to his will.

He laughed.

"Oh, and one more thing." He said. "I can assimilate your consciousness into my own. It leaves you dead, of course. A pity. "

He raised his hand. I felt the life leave my body. Felt my hooves give way and my body collapse to the deck.

NOOOOOO….

And then I awoke before Fate. Listened as he explained our options. I used my stalk eyes to watch my friend's reactions.

Listened to Marco's objection to the statement "Ten of your Minutes"

While on earth, I had discovered the idea of Humor. While it was not an Andalite concept, I had tried to master my understanding of it in order to make my friends feel more comfortable around me.

I am saddened to say that my research into this particular human trait never fruited in the way I had hoped.

While I understood when a human was making a joke, my attempts at this particular action had never been met with success.

No matter. I watched with a stalk eye as Prince Jake and Cassie wandered from the group. I had wished to speak with Prince Jake about the controller referring to itself as "The One."

However, I knew of the difficulty Cassie and Prince Jake had had communicating verbally with each other. I decided to wait until their conversation was over in order to communicate my news to Prince Jake.

I brought my other stalk eye to bear when I saw Cassie and Prince Jake begin kissing.

I had tried it in human morph once with a female of my species whom I was in love with.

I knew it to be a pleasurable experience intended to express love.

I decided not to interrupt.

I scanned the others with my stalk eyes.

Rachel and Tobias were also engaged with the act of "kissing."

I saw Marco by himself. I decided to communicate my knowledge of "The One" with him.

Marco, may we speak? I said in private thought speak.

He stood and walked to me.

"What is it Ax?"

I believe you need to know something about The One. I swung my stalk eyes to watch the others. My final statement was to be addressed to all of them.

He is a controller whose Yeerk has discovered how to control matter and minds.

"So what." Marco stammered "We killed him."

I doubt that. He is very powerful and resourceful. He has escaped death before.

"What are you trying to say Ax? Marco was now very interested. It was time for me to address everyone.

Tom is The One. Or at least the Yeerk in his head is.

I saw Prince Jake stop kissing Cassie. He looked at me with astonishment. So did Cassie, Marco, Tobias and Rachel.

They encircled me.

Then the being called Fate reappeared.

"Your Time Is Up. What Is Your Choice?"

Prince Jake looked at me again. His expression told me that we needed to talk. That I should have told him what I knew before. But now was not the time.

He stepped forward. Looked at all of us. One by one, we nodded agreement.

Prince Jake cleared his throat, then spoke. "We accept."

*****

Notes-  Thanks to all of you who have read and review. I appreciate it. It tells me that continuing this story is worth the effort. PLEASE KEEP IT UP!!!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the story up till this point. Oh, and KEEP REVIEWING!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Sorry, to anyone who was online at 10pm sharp on August 2nd looking for this chapter. I had a problem getting online and it wasn't posted until a little after midnight.

Chapter 5 will be posted Tuesday August 5th, 2003 at 9pm.