Elfangor could only agree with her. But he did not want to dwell too long on such things, since there were other things that he and Loren had to do. Finding Visser Thirty-two, for instance. But there was something he wanted to know, before they inevitably started searching for the Visser.

How do you think this happened?

"This place? I'm not really sure, but I don't think the Time Matrix is just some ordinary time machine. I think you have to know exactly where you want to go when you try to use it. I've a feeling that when the three of us fought for control, we somehow forced it to create this place."

Elfangor nodded, that was what he had been thinking as well. He was somewhat surprised that she had figured it out in such a short time, but apparently humans were not quite as primitive as he had at first believed. He almost laughed, humans might not have been as primitive as he had been led to believe, but the physics of the machine they had just used would have been equally incomprehensible to an Andalite.

After all, the Ellimists were supposed to be able to manipulate reality at will. Making something like the Time Matrix would present very little challenge to them, or so it now seemed.

Visser Thirty-two stared at them from across the large lake, Elfangor and his pet human seemed to be preoccupied with one another and so were completely ignoring his scrutiny. He did not know how long this would continue, and so the Visser decided to just hang back and let them notice him whenever. And, if they did not, he would not mind overmuch.

Even though the Visser now made it a point not to think of his former host too often, he knew that this was one of the strategies that he had picked up from the Navari. As he watched, Elfangor and his little human pet turned slowly to face him. Elfangor glared, as did Loren, but her expression looked more spiteful with the addition of her snarling mouth.

There he was, the one who had caused them both so much trouble. Visser Thirty-two stood just across the lake, staring at them from its western bank. But, what really caught Elfangor's attention were the two other aliens standing on either side of the Visser.

They were not any type that he had ever seen, none of the creatures Elfangor had seen or studied had wheels instead of legs. That was precisely what these new aliens had, though. And the wheels were not the perfectly formed circles of artificially made wheels.

These were sloppily formed, suggesting that they were in fact a true part of the creature's body. Elfangor wondered what kind of evolution could have produced such a strange creature. But then, a week or more ago I also wondered that about humans.

"What in the hell are those things, Elfangor?"

I don't know, Loren. I've never seen anything like them.

As Elfangor watched, the two alien beasts started to roll forward. It was interesting to see, at first. But Elfangor soon forgot his interest when Visser Thirty-two started speaking.

Elfangor, so I see you managed to find your way here, the Visser said mockingly. I see you've noticed my pets, Jarex and Larex. They are from a species called Mortrons, they're quite unlike anything you have seen before.

In what way?

Visser Thirty-two chuckled darkly, shaking his head once.

In a way that you will find out soon enough, of course by then you'll probably wish you hadn't.

Visser Thirty-two just managed to restrain himself from blinking, what he had just said was something that his former host would probably have said. In fact, the laughter of his former host – or whatever was pretending to be him – was echoing inside his head. The Navari was still invisible, sitting on the flat rock by the shore of the lake.

Or, that was what he had been doing the last time Visser Thirty-two had seen him.

Elfangor watched the two Mortrons circle the lake, wondering if they would be able to cross the rather obvious border between the combined landscapes of Earth and his own world and the desolate Yeerk terrain. Once he saw that they could, Elfangor prepared to fight. These were the Visser's pets, and they were no doubt trained to obey his commands.

"I can see why you Andalites hate the Yeerks, Elfangor," Loren said, after the Visser had finished speaking. "No matter what kind of body they're in, they don't have particularly good social skills."

Brave little human girl, Visser Thirty-two sneered at Loren. Do you know that even now, Yeerk advance scouts are evaluating your planet? That soon you and all your fellow humans will be slaves of the Yeerk Empire?

More laughter, louder this time.

Really now? Not if we get to them first.

The Visser just stopped himself from asking the image of his former host what he was talking about. He knew now that it was just an image, something he had conjured from his memories and that the Time Matrix had made real. This world and everything in it was a figment of their imaginations.

"Blahbiddy blah, blah, blah," Loren said in a bored voice, rolling her eyes to further express her disinterest.

What? Elfangor wondered, Visser Thirty-two just scowled.

"You do a lot of talking for an invertebrate," Loren sneered. "You think a lot of empty threats are going to frighten me?"

Empty threats? They are far from empty. The Yeerk Empire will have your little world, human, it is only a matter of time.

Loren rolled her eyes, not taking the Visser's words to be anything but stupid boasts. They just stood there for a few moments, the two sides locked in stalemate, and the third silent, invisible observer who wasn't really there at all.

Finally, Visser Thirty-two decided that he had seen enough. It was time to find out just how accurate his previous assessment of Elfangor's ability had been. True, the young Andalite had managed to survive several intense ordeals, but this was a different arena, and the Mortrons were something Elfangor's Academy training could not have possibly prepared him for…

Elfangor was staring at them, seeming to contemplate something. It almost looked like he was interested in them, the Visser chuckled softly to himself. Things were about to get very… intense.

Once the Mortrons had crossed the border between the Yeerk side of the lake and come into the Andalite territory, they attacked. The top half of the beast split off from the bottom, the top becoming a flying creature with webbed wings that raced toward Elfangor with a speed that he could not have expected.

After all, the winged half of the Mortron did not look all that fast. Elfangor cocked his tail, getting ready to do battle with them. Visser Thirty-two laughed to himself, since Elfangor's style of combat would only make more problems for him and his human pet.